Overview

• U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala permanently enjoined Jefferson County from using its 2021 five-district plan, ruling it violates the Fourteenth Amendment.
• The court ordered the county and plaintiffs to file a joint report within 30 days on developing a new redistricting plan.
• A new map could alter control of the five-member commission, which now has three Republicans and two Democrats, ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
• Plaintiffs, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and local groups, argued Black voters—about 40% of the population—were packed into two districts and racial ratios were maintained in the others.
• County attorneys said they are reviewing the order after previously defending the map as lawful; the court noted no evidence that high Black voter percentages were necessary, and a special master could be appointed if a compliant plan is not produced.