Overview
- The Supreme Court's June 3, 2026 decision lifted a lower‑court block and allowed Alabama to hold the November congressional elections under its 2023 Republican‑drawn map.
- The new map eliminates one of two districts where Black voters are the majority, a change that spreads Black voters across other districts and reduces their ability to elect preferred candidates.
- A three‑judge federal panel had temporarily barred the map on May 26 after finding it intentionally discriminated against Black voters, but the high court overturned that injunction by a 6–3 vote.
- Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a joint dissent that warned the ruling weakens legal safeguards for minority voters established under the Voting Rights Act.
- The decision follows an April Supreme Court ruling that narrowed Voting Rights Act protections and is expected to help President Trump and Republicans protect a slim House majority; similar map fights are playing out in states such as Texas, Florida and North Carolina.