U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ordered a special master appointed by the court to draw a new Alabama State Senate map on Wednesday.
In the wake of a federal court ruling against Alabama's 2021 State Senate map, Gov. Kay Ivey recently decided not to call a special session to draw a new map. The ruling agreed with left-wing plaintiffs suing the state that State Senate Districts 25 and 26 held by State Sens. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) and Kirk Hatcher (D-Montgomery) violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Manasco ordered on Wednesday a special master to redraw Alabama’s State Senate map by October 24, ahead of qualifying in January for the 2026 election.
“Ultimately, the Secretary has not established that he is likely to succeed on the merits of his defenses, nor that he faces irreparable harm. He has shown only that he anticipates that another case might disrupt long-settled redistricting jurisprudence. But as a practical matter, staying this case to wait on that one will deprive the plaintiffs of relief that they are entitled to under long-settled law,” Manasco said.
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