Alabama scored a major victory at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday as the justices cleared the Legislature’s Alabama congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, halting a federal court order that had thrown the state’s election calendar into uncertainty.

The 6-3 ruling struck down the three-judge panel’s May 26 order barring Alabama from using the map the Legislature drew in 2023. That panel found the Republican-backed plan intentionally discriminated against Black voters. The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices dissented.

Attorney General Steve Marshall led the state’s legal push, arguing the lower court’s ruling no longer held up after the Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in April’s Louisiana v. Callais decision. The high court agreed.

The ruling reshapes Alabama’s congressional landscape. The Legislature’s Alabama congressional map reduces the number of majority-Black or near-majority-Black districts from two to one, a shift expected to flip the seat currently held by Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) to Republicans. Alabama’s seven-member House delegation could soon tilt 6-1 in favor of the GOP.

The decision also clears the way for the special primary election set for August 11 in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th congressional districts. Votes cast in those districts during the May 19 primary were voided after the redistricting litigation forced new elections.

The Legislature authorized the special elections through HB1 and SB1 during a special session, and Governor Ivey recently extended the certification deadline to June 3 to position the state for a favorable ruling.

Alabama is part of a broader wave. Tennessee and Louisiana have already redrawn their maps following the Louisiana v. Callais ruling, as Republican-led states across the South move to capitalize on the Supreme Court’s shift.

Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].