Alabama’s Political Divide Deepens After Supreme Court’s Ruling
Predictably, Alabama political reaction to today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on congressional districting is split down party lines. In a 6-3 decision, the court’s conservative majority found that a Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race. It essentially struck down the state's second majority-Black congressional district as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.
The ruling prompted West Alabama Democrat Rep. Terri Sewell to post on social media that she considered the court ruling a “devastating blow to American democracy.” In her statement, Sewell blasted the court’s conservative majority for what she said is a “death sentence for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
Today's ruling is a reversal from the court's decision three years ago in a similar case in Alabama. Then they ordered a new congressional map for the state that setup a second minority majority congressional district that saw the election of Democrat Rep. Shomari Figures, giving Alabama a second black member in congress.
The high court's Alabama ruling is what prompted Louisiana to redistrict for a second minority district in the Pelican State.
Today's decision is prompting Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshal to promise to “...act as quickly as possible to apply this ruling to Alabama’s redistricting efforts and ensure that our congressional maps reflect the will of the people, not a racial quota system the Constitution forbids.”
It is unclear how Marshall. who is a candidate for the U.S. Senate, will be able to follow through on his promise. Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday that she would not call a special session.
“While we are not in a position to have a special session at this time, I hope in light of this new decision, the court is favorable to Alabama‚" she said in a prepared statement, referencing ongoing litigation about the state’s voting maps, which would favor Republicans.
“While we are not in a position to have a special session at this time, I hope in light of this new decision, the court is favorable to Alabama‚" she said in a statement, referencing ongoing litigation about the state’s voting maps, which would favor Republicans.
Alabama U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination is urging Ivey to change her mind. In an op-ed prior today's ruling Tuberville wrote, "Alabama – which voted for Trump by 65% in 2024 – by all rights should send an entirely Republican delegation to Washington.”
“Since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we have seen state officials advance hundreds of new measures to make it harder for Americans to vote,” Sewell stated at the time of the legislation's introduction.
Today she vowed, "We are NOT going back!"
In her press release Sewell stated the ruling will make " it easier for bad actors to discriminate and harder for us to fight that discrimination in court. The decision is a gift to President Trump and his voter suppression scheme, making it easier for Republicans to steal congressional seats by diluting the voices of Black and minority voters."
"If the Court won't protect the rights of Black and minority voters, Congress must act. We must revise and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the full protections of the VRA," Sewell added. "And we must reaffirm, through action, that every American deserves an equal voice in our democracy."
More From Tuscaloosa Thread
