A federal judge recently increased the scrutiny on Alabama’s redistricting efforts. The ruling indicated that Alabama’s Senate map from 2021 breaches voting rights laws specifically in the Montgomery area, but this was not the case for Huntsville.

Consequently, there’s now a restriction preventing the state from utilizing the existing plans in future elections.

The court, similar to its actions in 2023, directed the Alabama Legislature to pursue a solution first. They suggested adding one effective district in Montgomery specifically for Black voters. If the legislature fails to meet the court’s guidelines, they might have to face imposed changes, mirroring the consequences seen in 2023.

U.S. District Judge Anna M. Manasco has established that the legislature has the chance to redraw the district maps under certain conditions.

Related: Federal judge publishes final map to Alabama (2023)

According to Judge Manasco, “Based on the statutory framework, along with precedents from the Supreme Court and the 11th Circuit, the desired solution is a redistricting plan that incorporates additional majority Black Senate districts in the Montgomery region.”

She noted that, “The Supreme Court’s precedents suggest that Congress should be the first to propose such a plan, as they possess broader discretion than the courts do in this matter.”

The court also provided practical guidelines for potential amendments.

Judge Manasco remarked, “While Congress works on this plan, it’s important to recognize the actual circumstances. The relief strategy needs to ensure that additional districts are included in Montgomery that represent a majority or are very close to the voting age population of Black voters.”

On the other hand, the court dismissed the request for a second Black district around Huntsville, stating it did not meet the legal standards for compactness and composition.

Related: US Supreme Court rejects Alabama Legislature map

The court concluded that the distribution of the Black population in District 7 is too spread out to form a majority in any reasonably drawn districts. Thus, the plaintiffs could not prove a violation of Section 2 in the Huntsville area.

As it stands, the current districts mean that the seats held by State Senator Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) are not at immediate risk of alteration.

This ruling represents only a partial victory for the plaintiffs, as it reinforces federal oversight of parts of the Alabama Senate map while leaving Huntsville unaffected.

The left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the plaintiffs, is yet to be deterred by the outcome.

This recent ruling is part of the ongoing implications of Allen v. Milligan, a 2023 Supreme Court decision that reinforced Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, deeming Alabama’s Senate map from 2021 unlawful.

This ruling led to a court mandate that altered the congressional map and resulted in the election of Rep. Shomali (D-Mobile) in 2024.

A status meeting regarding the Senate map is scheduled for next Thursday.

Meanwhile, the litigation concerning Alabama’s congressional maps is following a different path and continues to affect federal elections in the state.

In 2023, Governor Kay Ivey called a special session of the Alabama Legislature within 40 days of the initial ruling to address these legal challenges.