A federal court has blocked a GOP-backed congressional redistricting plan in Alabama, ruling that the map intentionally discriminated against Black voters. The decision adds to a string of setbacks for redistricting efforts tied to Republican-led legislatures and, in some cases, to pressure from the White House.
According to CBS News, Republicans said they intend to appeal the Alabama ruling to the Supreme Court. The case involves claims that the congressional map was drawn to dilute the voting power of Black residents in the state, a charge the court found credible enough to block the plan from moving forward.
The Alabama ruling was not the only redistricting loss Republicans faced. In South Carolina, the state Senate refused to redraw its congressional maps despite calls from President Trump to do so. Trump had pushed for changes that would have targeted the district held by longtime Democratic congressman Jim Clyburn.
According to reporting by The New York Times, BBC, CNN, Reuters, and Politico, South Carolina Republicans in the Senate chose to reject the proposed changes, effectively leaving Clyburn's seat intact for now. The decision represented a notable break with the White House on a politically sensitive issue.
Trump's redistricting push had been part of a broader effort to reshape congressional maps in states where Republicans control the legislature. The twin setbacks in Alabama and South Carolina complicated that effort heading into the next election cycle.
The Alabama case will now move toward an appeal. The Supreme Court has previously weighed in on Alabama's congressional maps in recent years, making the state a focal point for voting rights litigation. The use-of-force investigation in the redistricting case centers on whether the legislature acted with discriminatory intent, which the federal court said it did.
CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford broke down the Alabama decision, noting the significance of a court finding not just that a map had discriminatory effects but that it was drawn with discriminatory intent.
