A federal judge asked Alabama Solicitor General Edmund LaCour whether the Legislature deliberately disregarded the court when it passed a new congressional map that did not create a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.
But there was no claim Monday that the redrawn District 2 is an opportunity district for Black voters. The state has not disputed analyses of voting results over the last decade that show Black-preferred candidates have almost no chance to win in the district. At the conclusion of Monday’s hearing, the judges did not say when they would rule but gave the two sides until Saturday morning to file additional information with the court.
LaCour said the new map has to be considered in a different context than the 2021 map that the court found likely in violation of the Voting Rights Act. LaCour said that’s because of the Legislature’s authority to set redistricting guidelines. Lawmakers added guidelines to the legislation for the 2023 map. One new guideline was naming three communities of interest to be kept as intact at possible -- Baldwin and Mobile counties, the Wiregrass, and the Black Belt.
Pringle said he was not involved in drawing the map that won final approval and said LaCour worked with senators to create that map.
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