A U.S. Supreme Court decision this week vacating a court-ordered congressional map has cleared the way for Alabama to use its 2023 legislatively enacted districts, triggering an accelerated election …
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A U.S. Supreme Court decision this week vacating a court-ordered congressional map has cleared the way for Alabama to use its 2023 legislatively enacted districts, triggering an accelerated election schedule that includes a May 19 statewide primary and an Aug. 11 special congressional primary in four districts.
Gov. Kay Ivey said the ruling restores Alabama's ability to move forward under its own map.
"I will continue to say: Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best. The United States Supreme Court's decision is plain common sense and enables our values to be best represented in Congress," Ivey said. "For years, we have fought for this outcome, and I am proud to celebrate this win for Alabamians."
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court injunction that had required Alabama to use a court-drawn congressional map during ongoing litigation. The case now returns to lower courts for further proceedings following a recent Louisiana redistricting ruling that narrowed federal Voting Rights Act interpretation.
The decision allows Alabama to revert to its 2023 map, which includes one majority-Black district.
The court fight over Alabama's congressional map has stretched across multiple election cycles and returned to the high court several times.
After the 2020 census, lawmakers approved a 2021 map that a federal court found likely diluted Black voting strength in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and ordered a remedial map with two majority-Black districts.
The Supreme Court declined to block that ruling, and the 2024 elections were held under a court-drawn plan.
A 2023 legislatively enacted map that retained one majority-Black district was later blocked for use in 2024, with the Supreme Court allowing the court-drawn map to remain in place while litigation continued.
Gov. Kay Ivey called the Legislature into a special session that was announced May 1 and convened May 4 to prepare for possible court action affecting congressional districts.
Lawmakers later approved legislation designed to allow the state to quickly pivot election procedures if federal courts lifted restrictions on Alabama's 2023 map.
Secretary of State Wes Allen said the May 19 primary will proceed as scheduled for statewide and local offices, with congressional races in four districts separated into a later contest.
"Most importantly, Primary Election Day on May 19 is still happening, and it is very important," Allen said.
"Certain congressional races will be handled differently in accordance with the Governor's Proclamation. Congressional Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7 are affected," Allen said. "Votes cast in those congressional races on May 19 will be tabulated and made public. However, per Act 2026-612, votes for those races will be void for purposes of determining the party nominee."
He added that the special congressional primary is set for Aug. 11, with no runoff, and the candidate with the most votes will secure the nomination.
Qualifying for major party candidates in those districts opens May 20 and closes at 5 p.m. May 22. Party officials must certify candidates by May 26 at noon. Independent and minor party candidates must qualify by 5 p.m. Aug. 11.
Allen said election officials are confident in their ability to manage both election tracks and continue coordination with the governor's office and attorney general as litigation proceeds.
The ruling affects Alabama's 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional districts. The 2nd and 7th districts are represented by Black Democrats, while the 1st and 6th are held by Republicans.
Rep. Shomari Figures, who represents the 2nd District, said the ruling marks a setback for Black political representation in Alabama and vowed to continue his work.
"This is an incredibly unfortunate decision by the Supreme Court that not only continues their trend of breaking from the norms and precedents set by the Court, but also sets the stage for Alabama to go back to the 1950s and 60s in terms of Black political representation in the state," Figures said. "The Court just gave the state the benefit of an argument the Supreme Court acknowledged just a week ago that the State did not even present in defending its maps.
"I ran for this seat to be a voice for all of Alabama, and I'm not backing down from that mission now. The fight must and will go on."
Candidate movement also followed the ruling.
Rhett Marques shifted his campaign from District 1 to District 2. Joshua McKee also moved from District 1 to District 2.
Republican candidate Austin Sidwell posted on Facebook that he will remain in the District 1 race, saying, "My home is Baldwin County, and I'm not leaving."
Former Rep. Jerry Carl announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he will continue his campaign for the Republican nomination in District 1.
"Following yesterday's HUGE decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, I will continue to be a candidate for the Republican nomination in Alabama's First Congressional District. This is a massive victory for the State of Alabama as a whole," Carl said.
"I will continue to campaign on my conservative record, my resume, and my commitment to serving you in Washington to help pass President Donald Trump's America First agenda."
Carl is again seeking Alabama’s 1st Congressional District seat after losing the office in 2024 following court-ordered redistricting that placed him in the same district as fellow Republican Rep. Barry Moore.
The matchup stemmed from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that forced Alabama to redraw its congressional map to create a second district where Black voters could influence the outcome of an election. The changes dramatically reshaped the state’s districts, moving Moore’s hometown from the 2nd District into the 1st District, which Carl represented at the time.
Moore defeated Carl in the March 5, 2024, Republican primary in what became a rare incumbent-versus-incumbent congressional race. The contest was considered the only U.S. House race in the country in 2024 featuring two sitting incumbents after a federal court approved Alabama’s new congressional map in October 2023.
Prior to that ruling, Carl had represented the 1st District since 2021 and previously served on the Mobile County Commission. Moore had represented the 2nd District since 2021 after serving in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018.
Other Republican candidates in District 1, including Jimmy Dees, John Mills and James Richardson, have not announced changes. Democratic candidate Clyde W. Jones Jr. also has not announced any changes to his campaign as of press time and is the only Democrat in the race, advancing to the general election without a contested primary.
Attorney General Steve Marshall said the ruling shifts control of redistricting decisions back to elected officials.
"For too long, unelected federal judges have had more say over Alabama's elections than Alabama's voters," Marshall said. "That ended today."
State Sen. Chris Elliott said the special session restored legislative authority over district maps and election structure.
"This successful special session injected a strong dose of common sense back into Alabama's legislative elections, and playing a major part is one of my proudest accomplishments," Elliott said. "The bill that I sponsored during the special session this week allows Alabama to hold elections under the constitutional maps that were passed by the Legislature in 2021 and improperly overturned by the courts."
Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen said the decision reinforces constitutional control over redistricting.
"Today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is a major victory for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the right of states to govern themselves," Stadthagen said.
Alabama Arise Executive Director Robyn Hyden criticized the special session and said it came at the expense of broader policy priorities.
"This special session was an affront to inclusive democracy and basic fairness, and it was a clear example of our policymakers' misplaced priorities," Hyden said. "These new laws threaten to erode representation and engagement of all communities."
Baldwin County, located in Congressional District 1, is directly affected by the changes.
What does that mean for Baldwin Countians? Go vote on May 19 for all statewide, legislative, judicial and constitutional amendment races. Those results will be counted as normal.
Voters in District 1 will also return to the polls and participate in the Aug. 11 special congressional primary to select party nominees under the restored 2023 map.
