Federal Appeals Court Upholds Alabama GOP Congressional Map Ruling, Sparking National Precedent
WASHINGTON, D.C. — What began as a challenge to Alabama's congressional district lines has culminated in a landmark ruling on Friday, March 15, 2025, when a federal appellate panel upheld a lower court's decision regarding the state's Republican-drawn map, enforcing the inclusion of a second majority-Black district. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued the ruling in the case of *Allen v. Caster*, affirming that the Alabama GOP congressional map ruling violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black residents. Judges Kevin Newsom, Charles R. Wilson, and Britt Grant delivered the 2-1 decision, which rejected the state's argument that race-neutral redistricting criteria justified the map. The ruling mandates that the Alabama Legislature redraw the congressional boundaries to create a second district where Black voters constitute a majority or near-majority, a change that could shift the state's seven-seat U.S. House delegation from a 6-1 Republican advantage to a potentially more competitive 5-2 split. This decision, following the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2023 precedent in *Allen v. Milligan*, is expected to influence similar redistricting battles in other states, including Louisiana and Georgia, as the 2026 midterm elections approach. The Alabama Attorney General's office has not yet announced whether it will appeal to the Supreme Court.