Alabama Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Singleton)

Lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of Alabama voters alleging that the state’s past congressional map drawn with 2010 census data is malapportioned after the release of 2020 census data and both the past and new map drawn with 2020 census data are racial gerrymanders in violation of the 14th Amendment by “packing black voters in a single majority-black Congressional district and minimizing their influence in five majority-white districts.” To address this, the plaintiffs suggest that a new map be drawn preserving county boundaries. The suit asks that the court prohibit the use of the current map for future congressional elections and step in and implement a fairly apportioned map if the state legislature is unable to do so before the 2022 election cycle starts.

The case was consolidated with Milligan v. Merrill. A preliminary injunction hearing was held in January 2022 for the consolidated case and Caster v. Merrill, after which the court ruled on the Milligan and Caster plaintiffs’ Voting Rights Act (VRA) claims. It blocked the use of the enacted map for future elections and ordered the creation of a new map that contains two majority-Black districts in order to comply with the VRA. The court declined to decide the constitutional claims raised by the Singleton and Milligan plaintiffs. The Milligan and Caster cases were appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reinstated the congressional map. On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Allen v. Milligan which upheld Section 2 of the VRA and affirmed the lower court’s decision that struck down Alabama’s congressional map.

On Oct. 5, a federal court picked Alabama’s new congressional map drawn by a court-appointed special master for the 2024 elections. The plan has two districts — the 2nd and 7th Congressional Districts — where Black voters will have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. 

Last updated: March 25, 2024 1:38 pm EST