The full trial for the Allen v. Milligan lawsuit dealing with the dispute over Alabama's congressional redistricting is slated to begin on February 10 to rule on the constitutionality of lawmakers' 2023 map thrown out by federal judges ahead of the 2024 general election.
The state drew new congressional lines in November 2021. Several activist groups swiftly sued the state, arguing it violated the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 and discriminated against black residents by failing to create a new majority-minority district.
Legislators redrew their congressional districts in a special session in 2023 at the pleading of the court. However, the court again threw out the new map and mandated Alabama use a congressional map drawn by a court-appointed special master. The new map gave Democrats a better shot at electing another representative due to more favorable demographics, seen in the election of U.S. Rep.-elect Shomari Figures (D-Montgomery) for the state's Second Congressional District in the general election in early November.
Prior to the election, Alabama had only one Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), in the state's seventh district. The special master's map ran the Second Congressional District from Mobile across the southern Black Belt to the Georgia border, with a near-majority black population.
The 2023 map will receive a full hearing before a federal three-judge panel. The plaintiffs, which include the NAACP and ACLU, are still arguing the map is essentially racial gerrymandering and violates the VRA.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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