Federal Court Strikes Down Alabama Congressional Map After Lawmakers Defy Court Order

A federal court struck down the Alabama Legislature’s congressional map that was drawn in July, finding that state lawmakers defied an earlier court order.

A line of people wait outside the federal courthouse to watch a redistricting hearing in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14, 2023. Kim Chandler/AP Photo

A federal court on Sept. 5 struck down the Alabama Legislature’s congressional map that was drawn in July, finding that state lawmakers failed to follow an earlier court order requiring that they adhere to the federal Voting Rights Act.

The court ordered that a special master and a cartographer would have to prepare a new, statutorily compliant map.