Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow use of congressional map helping GOP, despite racial bias ruling

Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow use of congressional map helping GOP, despite racial bias ruling 1 of 5 | The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) 2 of 5 | Shomari Figures, who is running for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) 3 of 5 | Demonstrators protest in the Senate hallway in response to HB1 and SB1, redistricting bills, during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) 4 of 5 | U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., speaks outside the Alabama state house during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) 5 of 5 | A statue titled the “Authority of Law” sits in front of the Supreme Court on Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) 1 of 5 | The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) 1 of 5 The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 5 | Shomari Figures, who is running for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) 2 of 5 Shomari Figures, who is running for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 5 | Demonstrators protest in the Senate hallway in response to HB1 and SB1, redistricting bills, during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) 3 of 5 Demonstrators protest in the Senate hallway in response to HB1 and SB1, redistricting bills, during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 5 | U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., speaks outside the Alabama state house during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) 4 of 5 U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., speaks outside the Alabama state house during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 5 | A statue titled the “Authority of Law” sits in front of the Supreme Court on Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) 5 of 5 A statue titled the “Authority of Law” sits in front of the Supreme Court on Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Washington (AP) — Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, despite a lower court’s ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.The state’s Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts. The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map that was put in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents comprise a majority or close to it.Attorney General Steve Marshall told the court that the state did not intentionally discriminate against Black residents and should be allowed to hold elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges. 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 2 MIN READ The appeal is the latest development in the fallout from last month’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., speaks outside the Alabama state house during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., speaks outside the Alabama state house during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections. The Alabama cases stretches back several years. The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. The court-selected map was used in 2024. Demonstrators protest in the Senate hallway in response to HB1 and SB1, redistricting bills, during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Demonstrators protest in the Senate hallway in response to HB1 and SB1, redistricting bills, during a special session of the Alabama-legislature" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="127863" data-entity-type="organization">Alabama Legislature, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share After the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map’s use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling. In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama’s May 19 primaries, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey set new special primaries for Aug. 11 in four congressional districts affected by the map switch.Upon further review, the judicial panel said it was standing behind its initial finding that there was “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination, a holding that was independent of and unaffected by the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act.It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.The use of the court-ordered map led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. State Republicans are seeking to use a map that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim the south Alabama seat. Shomari Figures, who is running for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Shomari Figures, who is running for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share The state is asking for Supreme Court action by Monday as it makes preparations for the special vote in August. This story has been corrected to show the Alabama primaries were May 19, not May 11.Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala. Sherman has covered the Supreme Court for The Associated Press since 2006. His journalism career spans five decades. He is based in Washington, D.C., and previously lived in New York, Paris and Atlanta.