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## Alabama Congressional Map – Supreme Court Redistricting Ruling (2026) ### Overview The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to use its preferred congressional map in June 2026 (SCOTUSblog, June 2026). The ruling is part of a broader and ongoing legal conflict over Alabama's congressional district lines and their compliance with the Voting Rights Act. ### Background Alabama's congressional map has been the subject of sustained litigation over whether it adequately represents Black voters as required under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The Supreme Court previously ruled in Allen v. Milligan (2023) that Alabama's map likely violated the VRA and ordered the creation of a second majority-Black district. Subsequent redistricting and court proceedings have continued to generate legal conflict. ### June 2026 Developments The Court's June 2026 action permitting Alabama to use its preferred map signals either a procedural clearance or a substantive ruling favorable to the state's position (SCOTUSblog, June 2026). The decision intersects with a broader set of SCOTUS redistricting and VRA cases being tracked in the current term. ### Broader Context SCOTUSblog simultaneously published analysis questioning when and why complying with the Voting Rights Act became unconstitutional, suggesting the Court's redistricting jurisprudence is undergoing significant doctrinal evolution (SCOTUSblog, June 2026). ### Significance - Critical for attorneys in election law, civil rights, and redistricting practice - Alabama's map rulings are a bellwether for the viability of Section 2 VRA claims nationally - The doctrinal trajectory has direct implications for redistricting litigation in other Southern states