Alabama Court Finds Intentional Racial Gerrymandering
A federal court ruled that Alabama intentionally discriminated by refusing to create a second majority-Black congressional district, despite prior legal challenges and Supreme Court rulings. The court found Alabama’s actions, which resulted in only one Black-majority district out of seven, to be a purposeful dilution of Black voters’ power. This decision may place Alabama under Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act, requiring federal preclearance for future congressional maps. The court acknowledged progress in race relations in Alabama but deemed the state’s actions irreconcilable with its claims that the Voting Rights Act is obsolete.
John Q. Hosedrinker