The U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on Redistricting in Alabama Leaves Black Voters Awaiting New Constituency Maps

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Black voters in an Alabama redistricting case presented Democrats and advocates for voting rights with an unexpected window of opportunity before the 2024 electoral cycle.

The ruling mandated the drafting of new congressional maps that would establish more districts in Alabama—and possibly in other states—where Black voters would have an enhanced likelihood of electing candidates of their preference. This is generally interpreted as a ruling that could aid the Democratic Party.

However, despite the lapse of over three months since the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision, there are still no new maps that could lead to an increase in districts represented by Black legislators.

Republicans in Alabama are seeking another Supreme Court hearing to revisit the issue. Meanwhile, Republican legislators in Louisiana haven’t taken any action to create a new map.

Khadidah Stone, one of the plaintiffs in the Alabama case, remarked that the sustained resistance is disheartening but not unexpected. She cited Alabama’s history of racial discrimination, mentioning incidents like the obstruction by then-Gov. George Wallace of Black students’ attempts to integrate the University of Alabama in 1963.

In Florida, Republicans are challenging a court ruling that was favorable to Black voters by taking it to the state’s predominantly Republican Supreme Court. Subsequent to the Supreme Court’s seminal ruling on the Voting Rights Act in June, there have been lawsuits over racially biased congressional maps in various states, including Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas. The ongoing resistance from Republican-controlled legislatures makes the future of equitable representation for Black voters uncertain.

It remains to be seen whether the strategies employed by Republicans will be recognized as contempt of court orders or will emerge as shrewd political maneuvers. Clarity on this is expected to unfold in the coming month.

Shawn Donahue, a voting rights and redistricting expert at the State University of New York at Buffalo, suggested that the Supreme Court could quickly put an end to the delays by affirming the decision of a lower court panel that had rejected Alabama’s most recent congressional map. The map provided only one majority Black district out of seven, despite Black residents making up 27% of the state’s population.

Republicans are fighting to maintain their existing map, asserting that their new map addresses the issues pointed out by the Supreme Court, particularly in how it divided the state’s Black Belt region.

The significance of these redistricting cases cannot be understated. With a narrow Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, these cases could tip the balance of power in next year’s elections.

Following the Alabama decision, the Supreme Court also lifted its stay on a similar case from Louisiana, raising Democratic hopes that the state might be compelled to create another majority-Black congressional district. However, the matter remains unresolved.

Louisiana’s legal team argues that its situation differs from Alabama’s, but state Sen. Royce Duplessis, a Democrat, contends that Louisiana has less justification for not creating a second majority-Black district.

In Florida, a state judge ruled that a redistricting plan backed by Governor Ron DeSantis should be revised, a ruling that the state is appealing. Both parties seek a quick resolution in preparation for the 2024 electoral cycle.

Angie Nixon, a Democratic state representative from Jacksonville, stated that advocacy groups are galvanizing efforts to encourage greater voter participation.

Reported by Gomez Licon in Miami, with contributions from Big Big News writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, and Kevin McGill in New Orleans.

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More about Redistricting Supreme Court Ruling

• U.S. Supreme Court’s Official Opinion on Alabama Redistricting Case
• Voting Rights Act of 1965: An Overview
• Recent Developments in Redistricting Litigation
• Impacts of Gerrymandering on U.S. Elections
• Overview of Racial Gerrymandering
• Political Consequences of Redistricting
• Historical Context of Voter Suppression in Alabama
• Redistricting and Representation: The Impact on Black Voters
• State-by-State Redistricting Procedures