Supreme Court grants Alabama request to speed up adoption of new congressional map

Supreme CourtSupreme Court grants Alabama request to speed up adoption of new congressional mapThe decision sends litigation back to a lower court as the state races to adopt a map that would more heavily favor Republicans and eliminate a majority-Black district.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Several pro-democracy groups hold a rally and press conference, at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala., in response to the called special session look into redrawing congressional maps, on May 4.Mickey Welsh / The Montgomery Advertiser / USA Today Network via ImagnShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 11, 2026, 5:50 PM EDTBy Lawrence HurleyWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday removed an obstacle to Alabama using a new congressional map in this year’s election that would eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black districts.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The court, over the objection of its liberal members, sent litigation over the Republican-drawn map back to the lower court, which could speed up the state’s effort to use its map.The state has been battling civil rights plaintiffs for years over its congressional map, with a focus on whether a second majority-Black district was required to comply with the 1965 Voting Rights Act.The latest flurry of court filings came in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on April 29 in a case from Louisiana that undermined a key provision of the law, making it much easier for states to draw districts that dilute minority voting rights.In a dissenting opinion, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the court action was “inappropriate and will cause only confusion as Alabamians begin to vote in the elections scheduled for next week.”Alabama’s appeal of the lower court ruling that invalidated its map was on hold at the Supreme Court while it decided the Louisiana case. As soon as the ruling was issued, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall asked for...