The Alabama Legislature’s special redistricting session wrapped on Friday and GOP leaders are declaring it a victory.
While HB1 nor SB1 change any of Alabama’s maps on their own, both bills are contingency plans that authorize the Secretary of State to call replacement primary elections in affected districts only if a federal court lifts the injunctions currently blocking Alabama from using its Legislature-drawn maps.
As of this afternoon, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has filed emergency motions in three redistricting cases asking the U.S. Supreme Court to do exactly that.
Governor Kay Ivey called the special session one week ago after the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais struck down race-based redistricting. Today, she signed the final product of that work, as passed by lawmakers.
“With this special session successfully behind us, Alabama now stands ready to quickly act, should the courts issue favorable rulings in our ongoing redistricting cases,” Governor Ivey said in a statement.
“I thank the Legislature for answering my call to address the issue in fast order. I am grateful to Speaker Ledbetter and Pro Tem Gudger for their strong leadership and focus this week. Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best.”
Alabama Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) left no room for interpretation in a statement following Friday’s sine die adjournment.
“For the last five days, House Republicans have stood firm on the fact that our state’s current, court-imposed congressional map is nothing more than a racially gerrymandered disgrace that does not represent the conservative values held by Alabamians,” Ledbetter said.
Ledbetter said the contingency plan guarantees the Second Congressional District, “which was wrongfully handed to democrats on a silver platter by the courts,” flips back to Republican control while putting the Seventh Congressional District in play.
Alabama currently sends two Democrats to Congress under the court-imposed map drawn after Allen v. Milligan.
Standing alongside HB1’s sponsor, House Pro Tem Chris Pringle (R-Mobile), speaking to reporters after the vote, Ledbetter said the federal court’s 2023 rejection of the Alabama Legislature’s 2021-drawn maps a personal affront.
“We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in reapportionment, drawing those maps, and they let an 18-year-old kid from the university send the map in, and they took it without a consideration for what we had done,” he said. “I thought it was a slap in our face. We got three branches of government. It’s our job to legislate, to draw those district lines.”
Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) also said this week’s session was about Alabama reclaiming what the federal courts took.
“The successful special session held this week put Alabama firmly on the path toward reclaiming our congressional and legislative elections with maps that were drafted, drawn and approved by Alabamians, not by the federal courts,” Gudger said.
Gudger praised his chamber for pushing through a week defined by chaos.
The Senate passed SB1 Wednesday after a Montgomery thunderstorm flooded the State House and forced a building-wide evacuation mid-debate. Tornado warnings, a fire alarm, and four feet of standing water on the first floor did not stop the vote.
“Our senators deserve recognition for working through tornado warnings, a fire alarm, and State House flooding in order to embrace the Louisiana v. Callais decision and do our part to help President Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, and the Republican Party maintain control of Congress for the next several years,” Gudger said.
Gudger closed with the state motto. “‘We Dare Defend Our Rights,’ and this week, the Alabama Senate did just that.”
The session was not without friction. Protesters disrupted the House Friday during debate on SB1.
The House passed HB1 Wednesday 75-29 after roughly four hours of Democratic opposition.
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
