Court ruling on Black political power in Alabama could affect maps in other states
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Evan Milligan, center, plaintiff in an Alabama redistricting case, speaks following Supreme Court oral arguments on Oct. 4, 2022. The court on Thursday ruled in favor of Milligan in the case, ordering the creation of a second Alabama congressional district with a large Black population.Patrick Semansky / AP -
Joe Reed sits next to his preferred Alabama congressional map.Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers have to redraw congressional district lines after a significant U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could affect political maps across the South for years to come.
In a 5-4 decision released Thursday, the justices upheld a key section of the Voting Rights Act as they found that a congressional map drawn by Alabama's Republican-controlled legislature after the 2020 census diluted the power of Black voters in a state where 1 in 4 residents is Black.
"The point of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act emphasizes that you cannot dilute political voting power," said JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama. "And that's exactly what this was: a dilution of Black political voting power in the state."
Joe Reed, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference, was also happy with the ruling, which gives Black Democrats a chance at a second congressional seat in the state.
"If we got two majority-Black districts," Reed said, "in all probability we'll get, we get a second Black congressman. And in all probability, if we have anything to say about it, we gonna try to make it a Democratic congressman."
Reed spoke while sitting in front of a large congressional map that he called a near-perfect plan. The existing map has seven districts, with one majority-Black representative. This new map showed two majority-Black districts.
Republicans in the state faulted the decision.
GOP Secretary of State Wes Allen said in a statement: "I am disappointed in today's Supreme Court opinion but it remains the commitment of the Secretary of State's Office to comply with all applicable election laws."
A few House seats could swing
The Supreme Court's ruling is likely to have effects beyond Alabama.
Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the U.S. House, and this decision could provide a roadmap for other gerrymandering challenges.
Just in the South, there are similar court challenges to congressional maps in Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia, where the Voting Rights Act would apply.
In Georgia, plaintiffs in a case there argue that Republican-drawn maps made a metro Atlanta district whiter and friendlier to the GOP — despite people of color driving the state's population growth. A judge last year ruled it was too late to change the maps before midterm elections, but wrote he had reason to believe they may violate the Voting Rights Act.
Redone maps could result, according to some experts, in a few more majority-Black and Democratic seats in the House, so that could shift power in Washington, D.C. — and in areas throughout the South.
In a statement, Evan Milligan — a lead plaintiff in the Alabama case, Allen v. Milligan, and executive director of the group Alabama Forward — said: "Moving forward, we will continue organizing to ensure that all states draw accurately representative maps that include the say of Black and Brown communities."
WABE's Sam Gringlas contributed reporting.
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Transcript
ASMA KHALID, HOST:
Alabama lawmakers will now have to redraw congressional district lines because of a Supreme Court ruling.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
It was a 5-4 decision. The justices yesterday upheld key parts of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling says the latest congressional map drawn by Alabama's Republican-controlled legislature violated the law and did not represent the interests of Black voters. Twenty-seven percent of Alabama's population is Black.
KHALID: Kyle Gassiott of Troy Public Radio is in Montgomery, Ala., and has been listening to reactions to the ruling. He joins us now.
Kyle, it is great to have you with us.
KYLE GASSIOTT, BYLINE: Hey, Asma.
KHALID: So this decision seems to be a surprise, I think, to some degree, given the court's recent record on voting rights. What are you hearing? And let's start with Democrats.
GASSIOTT: Well, Asma, they were surprised. But it's almost like they knew it was going to go their way and didn't want to say it out loud and ruin it before the decision came out. I spoke with Joe Reed, who is chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference. He was really happy. The map in question only had one Black Democratic seat in Alabama. This decision now gives them a chance to get another one.
JOE REED: Well, if we've got two majority Black districts, in all probability, we'd get a second Black congressman. And in all probability, if we have anything to say about it, we're going to try to make it a Democratic congressman.
GASSIOTT: When I talked to him, he was sitting in front of a large congressional map that he called a near perfect plan. The old map had seven districts with just one Black majority representative. This new one showed two Black majority districts. Of course, the Republican-controlled legislature still gets to make the new map. And if it doesn't suit Democrats, they say they'll go to court again.
KHALID: OK, so how are Republicans in the state responding?
GASSIOTT: Well, Republicans were kind of quiet. But Wes Allen, Alabama's secretary of state and a Republican, issued a statement. He said that he was disappointed with the opinion, but that he remains committed to complying with election law. It's safe to say that this decision has many Republicans nationally contemplating what this means for future elections, including 2024. As you know, Asma, Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the U.S. House. And this ruling could provide a roadmap for other gerrymandering challenges beyond Alabama.
Just in the South, there are similar court challenges to congressional maps in Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia, where the Voting Rights Act would apply. In the Georgia case, the argument is that Republican-drawn maps made a metro Atlanta district whiter and friendlier to the GOP, despite people of color driving the state's population growth. All these challenges could result, according to some experts, in two to four more majority Black and Democratic seats in the House. So that could shift power there.
KHALID: So you mentioned the 2024 election. A key question here is, will these new maps in Alabama be ready for the next presidential election, the next big cycle, 2024?
GASSIOTT: Well, Asma, Democrats are hoping so. And this decision really was a win for voting rights in a state where 1 in 4 residents is Black. It upheld what's known as Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which some had feared the court would strike down completely. JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist is the executive director of the Alabama ACLU. I spoke with her. And she was glad the court applied the law here.
JATAUNE BOSBY GILCHRIST: The point of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act emphasizes that you cannot dilute political voting power. And that's exactly what this was, a dilution of Black political voting power in the state.
GASSIOTT: So yeah, this ruling, Asma, could affect congressional maps across the South for years to come.
KHALID: Interesting. We'll be watching. Kyle Gassiott is a reporter with Troy Public Radio.
Thanks for taking the time.
GASSIOTT: Thank you, Asma. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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