SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
A federal judge has ordered the State of Alabama to adopt a new state Senate map, ruling that district lines drawn by lawmakers unlawfully weakened the voting strength of Black residents in Montgomery. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco, will reshape the political landscape for the 2026 and 2030 legislative elections and marks the latest in a series of hard-fought voting-rights battles in a state with a long history of federal scrutiny.
Judge Manasco, appointed during former President Donald Trump’s first term, reaffirmed an earlier finding that Alabama violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965—the landmark law protecting Black Americans from discriminatory voting practices. In an August decision, she concluded that legislators “packed” Black residents into Senate District 26, a Montgomery-area district represented by Democratic Sen. Kirk Hatcher, in a way that limited their political influence elsewhere. Meanwhile, white voters in the majority-Black capital city were deliberately siphoned into the neighboring District 25, represented by Republican Sen. Will Barfoot.
This configuration, the court found, was no accident. Plaintiffs in the case—civil-rights groups and Black voters—argued that lawmakers designed the map to suppress the political power of Montgomery’s Black community, ensuring their influence would be concentrated in just one district. That intentional design violated the core protections of the Voting Rights Act, which guards against redistricting plans that diminish the ability of minority voters to elect candidates of their choice.
A “Race-Blind” Remedial Map — But Critics Say It Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Following her ruling, Manasco selected one of three proposed remedial maps drawn by a court-appointed expert. She described the chosen plan as “race-blind,” writing:
“The Court orders the use of a remedial map that was prepared race-blind and affords Black voters in the Montgomery area an equal opportunity, but certainly not a guarantee, to elect Senators of their choice.”
The remedy reconfigures the boundaries of Districts 25 and 26. Under the new plan, District 26 is “unpacked”—meaning some Black voters are moved into District 25—to create an additional “opportunity district” where Black voters have an enhanced chance of electing candidates they support. This shift, the judge said, addresses the violation while minimizing disruption to voters statewide.
But the plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit strongly disagree. In court filings, their attorneys argued that the remedial map weakens the very district—Senate District 26—that for decades has been the primary base of Black political power in Montgomery. They say the new District 26 performs worse for Black-preferred candidates, making it harder, not easier, for them to elect a senator of their choice.
The plaintiffs noted that in the new version of District 25, Black-preferred candidates win roughly 89% of the time, but in the revised District 26, such candidates win less than 50% of the time. In practice, they argued, the map “creates a new opportunity district at the expense of the existing opportunity in SD26.”
Even the court-appointed special master expressed hesitation, cautioning in earlier filings that the proposed changes only “weakly remedy” the Voting Rights Act violation.
State Officials Object — but Partisan Balance Unchanged
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen also objected to the revised map. However, the ruling does not alter the partisan balance of the Alabama Senate. Republicans continue to hold 27 of 35 seats, meaning the new map reshuffles racial voting power in Montgomery without shifting control of the chamber.
The ruling stems from a 2021 lawsuit that challenged the Legislature’s redistricting process following the release of census data. That case argued that lawmakers manipulated Montgomery’s district lines to dilute the political influence of Black voters and strengthen white voting power in a city where Black residents form a majority.
A Continuing Pattern of Federal Intervention
The case is part of a larger pattern of federal courts finding Alabama’s maps discriminatory. Just last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling that Alabama’s congressional map illegally diluted Black voting strength, forcing the state to create a second majority-Black district.
Civil-rights advocates say the latest ruling shows that Alabama still struggles with drawing fair maps on its own.
“This is one more example of courts having to step in to protect Black voters when the state refuses to,” one voting-rights organizer told SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS.
As Alabama prepares for the next legislative cycle, the newly ordered map will shape political representation—and potentially policy—for years to come. For many in Montgomery’s Black community, the hope is that the court-mandated change marks a step closer to equitable political power in the state’s capital.