Supreme Court opens door for Alabama to potentially redraw congressional map

A new move by the Supreme Court could eliminate one of Alabama’s two largely Black congressional districts before Election Day and may play an important role in the overall battle to control Congress this fall. 

Big picture view:

On Monday, the nation’s highest court overturned an order that would have required Alabama to use a court-imposed Congressional map until the 2030 census. That sets the stage for state lawmakers to redraw congressional lines before the November election, potentially eliminating one of the largely Black districts.

What's next:

Alabama’s legislature recently passed a measure that would let the state void the results of its May 19 primary in some districts and hold new elections after a revised map is drawn.

Dig deeper:

The Supreme Court’s move comes after last month’s ruling that struck down a majority-Black U.S. House district in Louisiana as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. In addition to overturning the previous order, the ruling sends the case back to the lower court, which is instructed to reconsider its finding in light of the Louisiana case.

The other side:

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out that the Louisiana case was only relevant to one of the factors that led to the Alabama decision. She argued that the lower court could still find that Alabama had violated the 14th Amendment by discriminating against Black voters.