The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) struck down a 2023 federal court-ordered Alabama congressional map on Monday.
The ruling paves the way for Republicans in Alabama to likely pick up at least one congressional seat in the 2026 midterms. Republicans currently have a narrow majority in Congress, and redistricting battles are happening in multiple states across the nation. Republican lawmakers in Alabama passed legislation in a special session last week, allowing a special election for the 2026 midterms in certain affected congressional and State Senate districts in anticipation of a forthcoming ruling by SCOTUS.
A special master hired by a three-judge panel in Birmingham redrew the map for the 2024 congressional elections after Democrats and liberal groups were successful in their initial redistricting legal challenge. The new map resulted in Democrats picking up one seat in Alabama via U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) in Congressional District 2.
The SCOTUS ruling on Monday comes on the heels of the recent Louisiana v. Callais decision banning drawing congressional lines based on race.
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