Gov. Ivey Calls Special Session On Redistricting

Apparently bending to pressure, Gov. Ivey has done an about face and will call a special session of the Alabama Legislature to redo congressional district maps.

After the U.S. Supreme Court's Wednesday decision prohibiting Louisiana from using race as a deciding factor in drawing up districts, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Secretary of State Wes Allen rapidly filed emergency motions Thursday afternoon. The are seeking to lift injunctions on three Alabama redistricting cases. Their argument is Wednesday's high court decision undercuts lower court opinions that led to a federally dictated map that created a second majority minority district,

Ivey had originally released a statement saying a special session could not be called because the state needed to wait for the Supreme Court to settle the state’s pending legal arguments.

However, the state's longest continuously serving chief executive issued a proclamation earlier this afternoon directing the legislature to convene in special session next Monday, May 4, at 4:00om.

Ivey's order directs the Republican dominated legislature to only consider providing for, ",,, a special primary election for electing members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Alabama State Senate in districts whose boundary lines are altered by a court issuing a judgement, vacating an injunction or otherwise ordering or permitting an alteration in the boundaries of such districts."

“By calling the Legislature into a special session, I am ensuring Alabama is prepared should the courts act quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn congressional and state senate maps to be used during this election cycle,” Ivey said in a written statement.

The districts most likely impacted with be 1 and 2. District 1 runs across Alabama's southern boundary from Baldwin County to Houston County. District 2 is adjacent, stretching from Washington County on the Alabama/Mississippi border to Russell County on the Alabama/Georgia state line. It is those districts that were redesigned to give Alabama a second majority minority district leading to the election of Democrat Shomari Figures.

The legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a single redistricting plan, but the governor can veto the map.

After participating in a mid-afternoon caucus call West Alabama Rep. Ron Bolton (R-61) could only remark that he is looking forward to getting the issue resolved.

While some lawmakers voiced surprise about Ivey's change of mind, Tuscaloosa Rep. Bill Lamb (R-62) says he was not. He expects to learn more about the call during the weekend.

The special session will begin just one day over two weeks before the May 19th party primaries are scheduled.