July 22nd 2023.
This week, the Supreme Court ordered Alabama to draw a second congressional district where Black voters make up the voting-age majority. However, the GOP-controlled legislature is refusing to comply, and proposed a map with only one majority-Black seat. The two maps being considered include districts that are 38% and 42% Black, respectively, but both options are seen as a failure by Democratic Senator Rodger Smitherman.
Lawmakers are expected to meet on July 21 to decide on one of the two maps or agree on a compromise. The stakes are high, as US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senator Tommy Tuberville have reportedly reached out to Republican legislators, worried about keeping their House majority.
The Supreme Court's 5-4 vote in June was a surprise to many, as Chief Justice John Roberts and conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with the court's three liberal justices. The ruling was in favor of a group of voters that feel the current district map violates the Voting Rights Act, as it only includes one Black-majority district out of the state's seven, despite a 27% Black population.
The redistricting efforts in Alabama are not the only ones that are being closely watched, as plans in New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and other states could decide control of Congress. It's clear that the eyes of the nation are on Alabama, and the state will have to make a decision soon.
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