A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked Alabama Republicans from reviving a GOP-friendly congressional map, keeping in place a court-ordered plan with two majority-Black districts ahead of November’s midterms.
The ruling halts the state’s bid to return to a 2023 map that had been previously blocked in voting-rights litigation, after the Supreme Court’s recent decision tightening limits on how race can be used in drawing political lines.
GOP leaders in Alabama argued the high court’s ruling opened the door to switch maps again. Under the 2023 plan, Republicans aimed to erase a Democratic-leaning, Black-majority district in the southeastern part of the state and potentially add a seat to their column.
The three-judge panel rejected the move and said Alabama must continue using the map that preserves two majority-Black districts where Democrats have significant advantages.
“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the federal judges wrote. “We again cannot understand the 2023 Plan as anything other than intentionally discriminatory.”
Alabama Republicans are expected to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, keeping the long-running redistricting fight alive and putting election planning in flux with filing deadlines and primary dates approaching.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court allowed Alabama to proceed with the 2023 map while sending the case back to the U.S. District Court in Birmingham for reconsideration. Tuesday’s appeals court order is the latest turn in that back-and-forth.
Rep. Shomari Figures, who represents one of the Democratic-leaning districts at the center of the dispute, praised the decision while warning the battle isn’t over.
NOW: A federal court has just INVALIDATED Alabama’s new 6R-1D 2026 redistricting map, likely sending it up to the SUPREME COURT
Appeal and OVERTURN, NOW!
Alabama had just gotten rid of a blue seat due to racial gerrymandering, but this map should EVEN be 7R-0D
GO FOR GOLD… pic.twitter.com/yvxqE48RQx
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 26, 2026
“I am pleased with the Court’s decision, but this case is still not over,” Figures said. “Although we expected the Court to reach this decision given the overwhelming evidence, we fully expect the State to immediately appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.”
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“This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled,” he added.
The Alabama setback lands as President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to redraw maps to maximize GOP seats after the Supreme Court’s Callais ruling, which reshaped the legal landscape around redistricting.
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Tennessee Republicans recently moved to redraw lines in the Memphis area, a move that Democrats say dilutes Black voting power and is designed to flip a seat. Similar fights are underway or looming in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana as both parties brace for a high-stakes midterm map war.
In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey has already scheduled several House primaries under the contested map for Aug. 11. The rest of the state’s primaries were held earlier this month, adding more pressure for a final legal answer soon.
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