Overview
- A conservative majority issued an unexplained order that cleared Alabama to revert to its 2023 congressional map with one majority-Black district while sending the case back to a lower court.
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by the court's two other liberals, dissented and warned the move could confuse voters as Alabama heads into its election calendar.
- Because primary dates are near, election officials are likely to use the contested map this cycle, and Alabama has a new law that allows do-over primaries if districts change.
- Virginia Democrats filed an emergency appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revive a referendum-based map after the Virginia Supreme Court said the referendum process violated the state constitution.
- The April 29 decision narrowing Voting Rights Act enforcement has spurred Southern states to redraw maps in ways analysts say help Republicans by concentrating Black voters into fewer districts.