politics

Supreme Court lets Alabama use House map that favors GOP in midterms

Updated on: June 2, 2026 / 10:54 PM EDT / CBS News

Supreme Court lets Alabama use House map that favors GOP in midterms

TL;DR

  • The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a Republican-favored congressional map for the upcoming midterm elections.
  • A lower court had previously found this map intentionally discriminated against Black voters.
  • The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision freezes the lower court's order that prevented the use of the 2023 map.
  • The 2023 map is expected to result in a 6-1 Republican advantage in Alabama's congressional delegation.
  • The lower court had ordered the use of a map with two majority-Black districts, which resulted in a 5-2 split between Republicans and Democrats.
  • Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, warning of a potentially chaotic election and the disregard for democratic values and the rule of law by the conservative majority.
  • The Trump administration supported Alabama's effort to use the 2023 map, arguing against federal court interference in state redistricting.
  • Voting rights groups, including the NAACP and ACLU, opposed Alabama's request, citing racial discrimination and potential voter confusion.
  • This case follows a recent Supreme Court decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act and invalidated a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana.