Federal Judges Temporarily Block Alabama’s 2023 Congressional Map Ahead of 2026 Elections

A panel of federal district court judges temporarily blocked Alabama from enacting its 2023 congressional map for upcoming elections, after Alabama moved to implement its 2023 map following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision weakening section two of the Voting Rights Act.

The Alabama legislature planned special primary elections in four congressional districts on Aug. 11, with Alabama having held primary elections on May 19 in three U.S. House districts not affected by the redistricting push.

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Federal judges in the Northern District of Alabama said the state’s map "intentionally discriminated based on race in violation of the Constitution," and they argued Alabama lawmakers enacted the plan to dilute Black voting power by moving forward with the 2023 maps.

The Washington Times described the same episode as a setback for Republicans, saying federal judges tossed out Alabama’s redrawn congressional districts and that the ruling was not affected by the Supreme Court’s recent decision narrowing the Voting Rights Act.

The case is expected to return to the U.S. Supreme Court, with the court’s preliminary injunction requiring continued use of the old court-drawn congressional districts, including a second majority-Black district.

The Washington Times reported that a three-judge panel found Alabama’s proposed map unconstitutionally discriminated against Black voters and said the ruling was not affected by the Supreme Court’s decision narrowing the Voting Rights Act.

In that same account, the judges said, "Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination," and they ordered continued use of the old court-drawn districts.

Associated Press

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state would appeal to the Supreme Court, while Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures said on social media, "This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled," and added, "This case is still not over."

Democracy Docket said the court described the map as "tainted by intentional race-based discrimination" and quoted the court’s finding that Alabama understood its 2023 districts would "dilute Black Alabamians’ opportunity to participate in the political process" and "intentionally enacted that very plan."

Democracy Docket said the ruling will almost certainly be appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, and it described how Alabama’s 2026 congressional primary elections became increasingly confusing for voters after the May 19 primary and postponements of four congressional races.

“A federal district court Tuesday blocked Alabama from using its 2023 congressional map in this year’s midterm elections, after plaintiffs in a long-running legal challenge asked the court for an emergency order halting the last-minute gerrymander”

Democracy Docket

It reported that those four races are set to be decided in an August 11 special election, and it said the 2023 map includes one Black-majority congressional district while the district court previously ruled Alabama should have two Black-majority districts.

The Democracy Docket account also said the Callais ruling makes it much more difficult to prove in court that a map dilutes minority voting strength, but it added that intentional racial gerrymanders can still be struck down by federal courts.

In parallel, Die Welt said the court temporarily prohibited the Republican-led Alabama from "carrying out the 2026 congressional elections according to the 2023 plan" and described the order as a preliminary injunction that Alabama has already appealed.

Die Welt further framed the stakes by tying the Alabama fight to the broader midterm context, saying that on November 3 the House of Representatives will be fully elected and a portion of the Senate, with each seat potentially decisive.