Federal Court Orders Alabama To Use Not-Racist Congressional Map, Provides Not-Racist Map In Case Alabama Confused On That Point
Federal Court Orders Alabama To Use Not-Racist Congressional Map, Provides Not-Racist Map In Case Alabama Confused On That Point
We clear on this, Alabama?
A three-judge federal court panel has chosen an electoral map for Alabama to use in the 2024 elections, after two years of Alabama constantly trying to impose an illegal racial gerrymander on the state, a fuck-tussle that has resulted in two trips to the US Supreme Court, followed by continued defiance by the state Legislature, which apparently thought that if it wished hard enough it would be 1952 again.
Black people make up about 27 percent of the state's voting-age population, but until this new map, have never had a majority in more than one of Alabama’s congressional districts. The new map, one of three drawn by an independent special master to conform with court rulings, will for the first time include one majority-Black district (District 7) and a second, District 2, where the Black voting-age population is 48.7 percent, giving candidates supported by Black voters a fighting chance if not a majority. The Legislature’s map had only 40 percent Black representation.
Also, in case you were wondering, yes, this long-running case is the one where last fall, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson took her colleagues on the Court to school on the “original intent” of the 14th Amendment, and an edifying time was had by all.
In its order telling Alabama to take the map and leave the cannoli, the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama pointed out just what a long dumb racist trip it’s been, but all judicial-like:
“We are not aware of any other case in which a state legislature — faced with a federal court order declaring that its electoral plan unlawfully dilutes minority votes and requiring a plan that provides an additional opportunity district — responded with a plan that the state concedes does not provide that district.”
And while Alabama Secretary of State Racist McFuckheaed Wes Allen has fought all previous calls to comply with the Voting Rights Act as “unconstitutional racial gerrymanders that harm Alabama voters by subjecting them to racial classifications,” this time he finally gave in, at least for the moment.
On Xitter, Allen said — pissily — that he would conduct the 2024 election cycle “in accordance with the map the federal court has forced upon Alabama,” although he added — in an unthreaded Tweet because he is a IDIOT — that he wanted “all Alabamians to know that the legal portion of this process has not yet been completed,” so presumably that means in 2025 it’ll be more of the same bullshit all over again. Allen’s term runs through 2026, so there’s no reason to think he’ll start behaving just because some federal court makes him.
So for now, Black voters in Alabama will have the opportunity to elect two members to Congress, which also has national implications, since the Republican hold on the House is so narrow. Combine this decision with the endless shitshow of Republican dysfunction, and one might even dare feel a little optimistic — but not complacent, for Crom’s sake! — about 2024.
[AL.com / NPR / Lawdork / ruling in Singleton v. Allen and Middleton v. Allen]
Yr Wonkette is funded entirely by reader donations. If you can, please subscribe, or if it’s more convenient to make a one-time donation, please do so using the non-gerrymandered button below. How on earth would you even gerrymander a button? That’s just silly.
But it's totes cool to use the old maps, right? Asking for Fucking Alafuckingbama.
THIS is exactly why Colorado has a non-partisan committee for drawing up the electoral maps. We got tired of having it go to court every decade.