WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on May 11 handed Alabama Republicans a major win in their effort to impose a more favorable congressional map for the midterm elections, the latest boost for the GOP's chances of keeping control of the U.S. House.
Over the dissent of the court's three liberal justices, the court lifted a ruling that had blocked state Republicans' preferred map as racially discriminatory and for illegally diluting the voting power of Black Alabamians.
Alabama had argued that the court's recent decision weakening Voting Rights Act protections for minorities meant it should not have to use a map that included a second majority-Black district to comply with the civil rights law.
"Alabama’s case mirrors Louisiana’s, and they should end the same way: with this year’s elections run with districts based on lawful policy goals, not race," Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall wrote in the state's emergency appeal.
The state has been under an order by a lower court to keep that map in place until after the 2030 Census.
