Supreme Court Lets Alabama Use GOP-Drawn Map for Midterms, Cutting Seat Held by Black Democrat

Here's the short version: the Supreme Court just handed Alabama Republicans a significant win in the fight over who gets to draw congressional district lines — and it could directly change who represents hundreds of thousands of Alabamians in Congress.

So what actually happened? The Supreme Court issued an emergency order allowing Alabama to swap out the congressional map currently in use — one that was drawn by a federal court — and replace it with a GOP-drawn map from 2023. The ruling came down along what appears to be a 6-3 split, with all three liberal justices dissenting.

To understand why this is a big deal, you need a bit of backstory. After the 2020 Census, Alabama drew a congressional map that courts found likely violated the Voting Rights Act — a law designed to protect minority voters' ability to elect representatives of their choosing. Black Alabamians make up roughly 30% of the population, but under the original map, they had a realistic shot at electing their preferred candidate in only one of seven congressional districts. The Supreme Court itself, back in 2023, told Alabama it needed to try again.

So Alabama tried again — and drew another map that still didn't create a second district where Black voters had a fair shot. Courts blocked that 2023 map too, and a special court-drawn map was put in place. Under that court-drawn map, voters went to the polls in 2024 and elected two Black Democrats out of seven seats: Rep. Shomari Figures (2nd District) and Rep. Terri Sewell (7th District).

Now, here's where things accelerated. In late April 2026, the Supreme Court issued a blockbuster ruling in a Louisiana case that significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act, making it harder for plaintiffs to successfully challenge racially discriminatory maps. Alabama immediately used that ruling as a springboard, rushing back to the Supreme Court in early May to ask the justices to let them use their 2023 GOP-drawn map for the upcoming November midterms — essentially undoing the court-ordered map that produced two Black representatives.

The Supreme Court agreed. And notably, this happened even though Alabama had already held its May primary under the old map. To handle that wrinkle, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation allowing special elections in August for the affected districts.

The practical result? Alabama will likely go from 5 Republicans and 2 Democrats in its congressional delegation back to 6 Republicans and just 1 Democrat. Rep. Figures' 2nd District is the one most at risk under the redrawn map.

What makes this extra contentious is that a special three-judge federal panel — including two Trump-appointed judges — had unanimously struck down Alabama's 2023 map just last week, ruling it likely violated the Voting Rights Act AND the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause on intentional discrimination grounds. The Supreme Court overruled them anyway.

Critics, including Rep. Sewell and the NAACP, called it a gut punch to decades of civil rights progress. Alabama's Attorney General and other Republican officials called it a victory for the state's elected representatives.

Why does this matter beyond Alabama? This is part of a broader, fast-moving national fight over congressional maps. The Supreme Court has now weighed in on redistricting in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Virginia, and California — mostly in ways that benefit Republicans. With control of the House potentially on the line in November, every seat counts.