Three-Judge Panel Says State’s Proposed Congressional Map Was “Tainted by Intentional Race-Based Discrimination” as Republicans Prepare Supreme Court Appeal
A federal court ruling Tuesday delivered a major setback to Alabama Republicans and intensified the national battle over congressional redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, potentially affecting control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a sharply worded decision, a three-judge federal panel blocked Alabama from implementing a Republican-backed congressional map that would likely have restored the GOP’s advantage in the state’s delegation. The court instead ordered Alabama to continue using a map featuring two majority-Black, Democratic-leaning districts — a configuration viewed as more compliant with the Voting Rights Act.
“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 panel wrote in its opinion.
The decision represents a potentially significant political blow for Republicans, who had hoped the revised map could help secure an additional GOP-friendly congressional seat in Alabama during an election cycle expected to determine control of Congress.
The case stems from Alabama’s effort to revive a 2023 congressional map containing only one Democratic-leaning district after recent Supreme Court action reopened portions of the state’s redistricting fight. Republicans argued the revised political and legal landscape justified returning to the earlier configuration.
