Redistricting: Alabama asks US Supreme Court to move quickly to allow GOP-favored primary map
Attorney General Steve Marshall asked the justices to issue a ruling by June 1.
Mason Reed 
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is pushing for a swift intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court, requesting a high-stakes ruling by June 1 to revive a Republican-favored congressional map. The state is seeking an emergency stay after a three-judge district court blocked the use of the map originally passed by the Legislature in 2023.
The Race Against the Clock
With election preparations hanging in the balance, Marshall has urged the Supreme Court to act by 10 a.m. on June 1. Justice Clarence Thomas has already set a timeline, ordering responses to the state’s application for a stay by 4 p.m. EDT that same day. The Court is expected to weigh in by early next week.
Governor Kay Ivey has already called for a special primary election on August 11. Republicans are looking to utilize the Legislature’s map to potentially reclaim a seat lost to Democrats in 2024.
Legal Arguments and State Challenges
In his filing, Marshall argued that Alabama faces "irreparable harm" if it cannot implement its duly enacted plans. He contended that voters are currently being forced to operate under a "racially gerrymandered" map drawn by the court that fails to meet the state's districting goals. Marshall stated that the "balance of the equities" clearly favors halting what he described as a "last-minute intrusion" into the state’s election process.
A major point of contention is how the Voting Rights Act applies to the case. Marshall asserted that the district court’s ruling ignores the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana vs. Callais, which changed the landscape for how states handle race during redistricting. "Callais vindicates Alabama’s position on the lawfulness of the 2023 Plan, yet the district court decided in one week that Callais changed nothing," Marshall wrote.
Context of the Dispute
The three-judge panel previously ruled that the state's map likely violated the Voting Rights Act by intentionally diluting Black votes. Consequently, the court ordered that the 2026 special election utilize the same map used in 2024 and the May 19 primary. Under that current map, U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures was elected in District 2, serving as a key figure in the state's seven-member U.S. House delegation. You can find more information on the ongoing redistricting situation as it develops here on 205focus.com.
