Key details on the GOP Alabama redistricting map battle heading to court Monday.
Alabama Republicans Defend Congressional Map in Federal Court
Alabama Republicans are gearing up to defend the state’s recently-passed congressional map in federal court, as Democrats and liberal activists argue that the state defied the Supreme Court by not including a second majority-Black district.
What is the redrawn map after Supreme Court ruled against the first?
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in June that Alabama needed to redraw the map, saying it likely violated the Voting Rights Act. The high court wrote that the new map “will need to include two districts in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.”
The redrawn map maintained one black-majority district, decreasing the voting age population by five percentage points, and created a new district that is 40% black, up from 30%.
What do Republicans and Democrats say about the redrawn map?
Republicans have argued the map is compliant with the Supreme Court ruling, stating the state used traditional redistricting principles.
“The 2023 Plan prioritizes the Black Belt to the fullest extent possible — even better than Plaintiffs’ alternatives — while still managing to preserve long-recognized communities of interest in the Gulf and Wiregrass. Plaintiffs cannot produce an alternative map with a second majority-black district without splitting at least two of those communities of interest,” the state wrote in court filings.
Democrats have decried the map as illegal racial gerrymandering and asked the court to block the map.
“Alabama’s new congressional map ignores this Court’s preliminary injunction order and instead perpetuates the Voting Rights Act violation that was the very reason that the Legislature redrew the map,” one group of challengers wrote.
However, the state claimed that the challengers’ proposals would negate Supreme Court precedents.
“Their objections boil down to one thing: the Legislature didn’t do enough to prioritize race over neutral principles and thereby ensure that Democrats can reliably win in at least two congressional districts in Alabama,” the state wrote via court documents.
What implications does the new map have for 2024?
The anticipation of two new majority-black districts shifted the projected outcome of five different 2024 House races to lean in favor of Democrats as Black voters typically lean heavily Democratic.
However, with the redrawn map now sitting at just one majority-black district, the projections have been thrown into limbo.
As of now, the newly-drawn map guarantees that no incumbents will face off in a primary election in 2024, as well.
If the three-judge panel requests a new map to be drawn, the state could appeal, which would begin another round of litigation.
However, Alabama officials have said a map needs to be finalized by Oct. 1 so that Alabama can prepare for next year’s primary. If the court strikes down the redrawn map, it could appoint a special master to draw the lines for the congressional districts that will be used in the 2024 election.
Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...