Gov. Kay Ivey has called the Legislature back to Montgomery for a special session on redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision against race-drawn districts earlier this week.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais limits the consideration of race when drawing congressional districts, stemming from a majority-minority district in Louisiana. Alabama’s current congressional map that includes two Democrat-held seats is the result of Voting Rights Act litigation from 2023.
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Ivey’s announcement came after Alabama officials last week filed emergency motions with the Supreme Court to lift the injunctions that are blocking the state from using its 2023-passed congressional map. The court ruled in 2023 that Alabama cannot alter its map again before 2030, the year of the next census.
Attorney General Steve Marshall and Secretary of State Wes Allen’s emergency filings asked for the court’s quick review so that Alabama can have the “same opportunity as other States to use a lawfully enacted congressional map free of an injunction that cannot be reconciled with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act” after the recent decision. Section 2 broadly prohibits race-based discrimination in voting practices.
The special session will include legislation setting a special primary election for the specific districts impacted by the court order, according to Ivey’s statement. Should the court allow Alabama to revert to its original 2023 map, only the 1st, 2nd and 7th congressional districts would be impacted.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Claire Harrison and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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