Alabama GOP shows little willingness to follow court orders for 2nd Black congressional district

An Alabama Senate committee discusses a proposal to draw new congressional district lines on Thursday, July 20, 2023 in Montgomery, Ala. Alabama lawmakers face a July 21 deadline to draw new congressional lines after the U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld a finding that the current state map— with one majority-Black district out of seven in a state that is 27% Black — likely violates the federal Voting Rights Act. MONTGOMERY, Ala.

The debate in Alabama is being closely watched across the nation, and could be mirrored in fights in Louisiana, Georgia, Texas and other states. The plaintiffs who won the Supreme Court case have vowed to fight either proposal if enacted. They say it's crucial that Blacks have more representation in Alabama and other states if their votes are to be meaningful.

“How do we keep those communities together, how do they wind up being recognized as communities of interest? That’s a big decision," Reed said. “I would think at 38 or 42 that the court isn’t going to sign off,” said Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political scientist who wrote a book about redistricting. He predicted the three-judge panel would end up drawing its own map.

Bullock and Crayton were skeptical that the high court would immediately backtrack on its ruling and said federal courts discount compactness and preserving communities in redistricting.

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