U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ordered Alabama lawmakers on Friday to redraw a new State Senate redistricting map for the upcoming 2026 election.
The order will likely result in Governor Kay Ivey having to call a special session in the next couple of months to redraw State Senate district lines before the upcoming election. Republicans currently comprise 27 of the 35 seats in the State Senate.
"Based on the findings of fact and conclusions of law explained below, including the Court's
assessments of the credibility of expert witnesses, the Court concludes that the plaintiffs have failed to establish a Section Two violation in the Huntsville area, and they have established a Section Two violation in the Montgomery area," Manasco said in her order on Friday. "As the Legislature considers such plans, it should be mindful of the practical reality, based on the ample evidence of intensely racially polarized voting adduced during the trial, that any remedial plan will need to include an additional district in the Montgomery area in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it."
Plaintiffs' challenges focused on State Senate Districts 25 and 26 held by State Sens. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) and Kirk Hatcher (D-Montgomery), respectively. They also unsuccessfully claimed Huntsville area State Senate districts held by State Sens. Tom Butler (R-Madison), Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) and Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) "unnecessarily cracks Black voters."
Plaintiffs in the case, the ACLU and NAACP, mostly cheered the ruling.
"This decision proves that when we challenge injustice, we can make progress. Alabama must now draw fairer districts in Montgomery, but let's be clear—leaving Huntsville untouched still denies many Black Alabamians their rightful representation," said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP. "We celebrate this win while demanding the state finish the job and deliver maps that reflect the full power of our communities."
Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) said lawmakers were reviewing the ruling.
"We are in receipt of the Court's order and are in the process of reviewing it. At this time, we are pleased with the Court's ruling in the Huntsville area and disappointed by the ruling in the Montgomery area. We will determine next steps after a thorough review of the opinion in the coming days," Livingston said.
The next hearing in federal court is scheduled for Thursday in Birmingham.
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