Federal Court Blocks Alabama GOP Congressional Map for 2026

A federal court blocked Alabama from using a new Republican-backed congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, dealing a major setback to GOP efforts to reshape House districts after recent voting rights rulings.

A three-judge federal panel ruled Tuesday that the proposed map intentionally discriminated against Black voters by including only one Black-majority congressional district.

The judges ordered the state to continue using the court-approved map adopted for the 2024 elections, which contains two districts where Black voters make up a majority or near-majority.

Judges say map showed intentional discrimination

In their ruling, the judges wrote they could not allow voters to cast ballots under a map “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination.”

The court found “undisputed evidence” that the state’s redistricting plan diluted Black voting power.

The decision temporarily blocks Alabama from implementing new congressional boundaries Republicans hoped would help reclaim a seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures.

Alabama plans Supreme Court appeal

Republican Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state will immediately appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Marshall defended the proposed map and argued the judges lacked justification for blocking it.

“Know this — in my mind, it is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when,” Marshall said.

Figures welcomed the ruling, calling it “a significant step in the right direction.”

Redistricting battle tied to Voting Rights Act fight

The Alabama case is part of a broader national battle over congressional redistricting following recent Supreme Court decisions weakening portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Republican-led states across the South have moved to redraw districts containing large minority populations after the court struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana earlier this year.

The legal fight in Alabama dates back several years.

In 2023, the same federal panel ruled that Alabama lawmakers intentionally diluted Black voting strength and ordered the creation of a second district where Black voters could elect their preferred candidates.

That court-selected map was later used during the 2024 elections.

Judges cite voter confusion concerns

The court also warned that changing districts again before the midterms would create widespread confusion for voters and candidates.

Judges said reverting to the earlier court-approved map would avoid “an expensive, aggressive, and perhaps logistically impossible voter reassignment effort.”

Republican Gov. Kay Ivey had already scheduled special primaries for August in districts affected by the proposed changes.

The ruling means those elections will now proceed under the existing map unless the Supreme Court intervenes.

Redistricting fights intensify nationwide

The Alabama dispute reflects a growing nationwide redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections.

Several Republican-controlled states — including Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina — have pursued new maps aimed at strengthening GOP control of the U.S. House.

Democrats have responded with new district strategies in states such as California and Utah.

The redistricting push has become a central political strategy as both parties prepare for a highly competitive fight over control of Congress.