State of Alabama

Alabama Congressional Redistricting (2011 Map)

Chesnut v. Merrill

Lawsuit filed by individual voters challenging Alabama’s 2011 congressional map. The complaint alleges that the map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by “packing” Black voters into one majority-minority district out of seven total districts, despite the fact that the number of Black residents in the south-central region of Alabama can form a majority in at least two congressional districts. Plaintiffs argue that this congressional map dilutes the votes of Black Alabamians across the state. The court ruled in March 2019 that the plaintiffs could not stop the use of the current map or ask for a new map, but could still seek a declaration that the maps violated Section 2. In March 2020, the court dismissed the case after finding it moot.

Case Documents

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