Supreme Court Lets Alabama Use Contested Map in Unsigned Order

Overview

• The Supreme Court’s conservative majority issued an unsigned order that lets Alabama keep a congressional map that concentrates most Black voters in a single district.
• The order set aside a unanimous 2025 decision by a three-judge federal panel that found Alabama’s map was an intentional racial gerrymander and required a new map.
• The development tracks with last month’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling, which shifted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to require proof of intentional discrimination rather than discriminatory results alone.
• The use of the shadow docket meant no full briefing or signed opinion, and a Boston Globe columnist reported the Court also accelerated final judgment in Callais before the usual 32‑day rehearing window.
• The rulings could prompt more mid‑cycle redraws, reduce Black voters’ influence in several states, and, analysts say, give Republicans an edge where they control mapmaking.