A ruling by a federal court on Tuesday forcing Alabama to use a more Democrat-friendly congressional map for the 2026 election was “unsurprising,” according to Gov. Kay Ivey.
A three-judge panel of federal judges on Tuesday granted a motion by left-wing activist groups to block the use of a 6-1 Republican congressional map passed by lawmakers in 2023.
Ivey said in a statement on Tuesday she fully supported Alabama appealing the ruling.
“Alabama’s redistricting battle continues after federal judges temporarily blocked use of our 2023 congressional map. I fully support Attorney General Marshall appealing this unsurprising decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and I remain hopeful they will allow Alabama to move forward with our August 11 Special Primary Election. I will continue to say: Alabama knows our state, our people, and our districts best,” Ivey said.
United States Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus, District Judge Anna Manasco and District Judge Terry Moorer held a lengthy hearing on Friday on a preliminary injunction motion filed by the NAACP and ACLU to block a 6-1 Republican map passed by the legislature. Under the injunction, a 5-2 Republican map that was court-ordered and used in the 2024 election would be used in the 2026 election.
The three-judge panel has already repeatedly blocked Alabama from using the congressional map passed by the legislature in 2023.
Attorneys for the State of Alabama argued on Friday that the recent Callais ruling made the court-ordered 5-2 map unconstitutional, but Marcus, Manasco and Moorer disagreed. The ruling was quickly appealed by Alabama. The practical result if the federal court's ruling stands is that U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) is a heavy favorite to be re-elected in Congressional District 2 in November instead of being replaced by a Republican.
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