A federal court on Tuesday blocked Alabama Republicans from implementing their preferred House map ahead of this year’s midterms, potentially preventing Republicans from picking up an additional seat via gerrymandering.
Following the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling earlier this year, Alabama sought to revert to a 2023 map — with only one Democratic-leaning district — that had previously been blocked in court.
But a three-judge panel Tuesday prevented the state from using that map, mandating that Alabama use a map that has two majority Black, blue-leaning seats.
“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the panel wrote in their decision.
Republicans are likely to appeal the decision, sending it back to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court earlier this month allowed Alabama to proceed with redistricting, kicking the process back down to the lower court.
Alabama held some of its primary contests last week, but not all of them, after GOP Gov. Kay Ivey delayed a handful of House districts to account for a new map.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
