Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall confirmed that the state will appeal a recent federal court decision striking down the state legislature’s 2023 congressional redistricting map — a ruling that found lawmakers had intentionally discriminated against Black voters and violated the Voting Rights Act.
A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office confirmed their intent to appeal to Yellowhammer News on Tuesday.
Marshall has consistently defended the Legislature’s redistricting efforts as both constitutional and in good faith. Lawmakers approved the current map in 2023 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Allen v. Milligan decision ordered the state to create a second district where Black voters have a greater opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.
The Legislature reconfigured District 2 to increase minority influence without resorting to race-based quotas or racial gerrymandering.
In a nearly 600-page decision issued May 8, a three-judge panel permanently blocked the use of the legislature’s map, stating it unlawfully suppressed Black voters by maintaining only one majority-Black district out of seven, despite Black residents comprising about 27% of Alabama’s population.
RELATED: Federal judges issue final map to Alabama (2023)
The decision is the latest development in a years-long legal battle over redistricting in Alabama, following a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that required the creation of a second congressional district where Black voters have a realistic opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.
As a result of the court-ordered map, Alabama elected two minority representatives — Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) and Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) — for the first time in its history during the 2024 elections.
The judges also indicated they would consider a motion to subject Alabama’s future redistricting efforts to federal pre-clearance, a requirement lifted in 2013 by the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
Marshall’s decision to appeal indicates that the state is prepared to continue its legal defense of the redistricting plan, potentially setting up another review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Grace Heim is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You can follow her on X @graceeheim or email her at [email protected].
