During a Wednesday episode of Mobile radio's FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," former Alabama Supreme Court Justice and attorney general candidate Jay Mitchell discussed the urgent need to congressionally redistrict Alabama following the U.S. Supreme Court's historic majority ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.
"I'm really thankful that we have this opportunity. Every state that has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years on a Voting Rights Act case has won, except for Alabama,” Mitchell said. “Our current attorney general's office took a case there. The Milligan case, and failed, did not win, and as a result, we as Republicans lost a congressional district."
According to Mitchell, Alabama should have a congressional map as conservative as its population.
"The congressional district that was lost is there in Mobile and Baldwin counties, so I'm thankful that Louisiana came forward, they made the right arguments, and the US Supreme Court has now given us an opportunity to come in and make this right,” Mitchell stated. “In my view, we've got to do everything we can to get this map drawn right. Alabama deserves a congressional map, as conservative as we are, and if that happens, we're going to be sending President Trump seven House Republicans, not five, as we have it right now, but seven."
Mitchell pointed to liberal-dominated state legislatures removing Republican districts across the country as a primary reason to redraw Alabama’s congressional lines.
"The imperative is great that we do this. We look at California, we look at Illinois. They're drawing Republican districts away and putting in Democrats, and they're even taking states like Virginia, which are purple, and trying to make them into part of the blue wall,” Mitchell explained.
Alabama cannot afford to be "passive and low energy" in its redistricting effort, Mitchell argued.
"We have got to push forward as hard as we can. I'm really thankful that the governor called the legislature into special session, and my hope is that we'll have every opportunity to get that map drawn right."
"We've got to get these congressional districts done in a way that they are race-neutral, and the US Supreme Court has given us the opportunity to do that," added Mitchell.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every day.
