A federal court has delivered a significant blow to Alabama’s attempts to dilute the voting power of Black residents. In a ruling handed down on Thursday, May 8th, 2025, a three-judge panel permanently blocked the state from using its gerrymandered congressional map, declaring it a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This decision comes after the panel previously rejected the state’s map twice, ultimately implementing a court-ordered map for the 2024 elections.
The judges were scathing in their assessment, stating that the Alabama Legislature deliberately disregarded their previous orders to create a map that fairly represents Black voters. They explicitly called out the state’s ‘deliberate decision to ignore’ the court’s directives, highlighting the state’s attempt to undermine the court’s injunctions. The court found that the map intentionally limited Black voters to a single majority-Black district, a clear violation of the Voting Rights Act.
This ruling marks a significant victory for voting rights advocates and the plaintiffs, who argued that the state’s map illegally packed Black voters into one district while splintering Black communities across others, diminishing their collective influence. The decision affirms the importance of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race. This victory comes after the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan, which upheld the lower court’s finding that Alabama’s map was likely to violate the Voting Rights Act.
The ruling has been celebrated by civil rights groups, who hailed it as a testament to the resilience of Black voters in Alabama. The Legal Defense Fund’s Deputy Director of Litigation, Deuel Ross, described the state’s actions as harkening back to the darkest days of American history. The plaintiffs in a joint statement called the win a ‘testament to the dedication and persistence of many generations of Black Alabamians who pursued political equality at great cost’.
The state of Alabama is expected to appeal the decision, but the ruling represents a major step forward in the ongoing fight for fair representation. The judges also scheduled a hearing to consider reinstating preclearance requirements for Alabama under the Voting Rights Act, a measure designed to prevent discriminatory voting practices. The impact of this ruling extends beyond Alabama, serving as a potent reminder of the ongoing struggle for equal voting rights across the nation and the importance of continued vigilance in protecting them.
The case, which began in 2021, has highlighted the persistent challenges of ensuring fair representation for minority communities in the face of gerrymandering. The election of Rep. Shomari Figures to Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District in 2024, marking the first time the state had two Black representatives in Congress, underscores the significance of this legal battle and the importance of the court’s decision in ensuring future fair elections.
