Federal judge rules Alabama Senate district violates Voting Rights Act,
orders new map
[August 23, 2025]
BY KIM CHANDLER
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday ordered Alabama
lawmakers to draw new state Senate districts after ruling the state
violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the influence of Black voters
around the capital city.
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco blocked the state from using the
current map in the 2026 elections and said a new map must be put in
place that creates a new district in Montgomery where Black voters
“comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it."
“The appropriate remedy is a redistricting plan that includes either an
additional majority-Black Senate district in the Montgomery area, or an
additional district there in which Black voters otherwise have an
opportunity to elect a senator of their choice,” Manasco wrote in the
261-page ruling.
The ruling said the court will redraw the districts if the state does
not do so in time for the 2026 elections.
The order came from a 2021 lawsuit that argued the Alabama Senate
district lines diluted the voting strength of Black citizens in
Huntsville and Montgomery. The lawsuit maintained that in Montgomery,
Black voters were unnecessarily packed into a single district,
preventing them from influencing elections elsewhere, while white voters
in the majority-Black city of Montgomery were “surgically” extracted
into another district.
Manasco did not find a Voting Rights Act violation in Huntsville.
However, she said that the evidence shows that another Black-majority
district could be created in Montgomery.
Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, Greater Birmingham Ministries and
a group of Black voters were plaintiffs in the lawsuit. They were
represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Legal Defense
Fund and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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“This decision proves that when we challenge injustice, we can make
progress. Alabama must now draw fairer districts in Montgomery, but
let’s be clear—leaving Huntsville untouched still denies many Black
Alabamians their rightful representation,” said Benard Simelton,
president of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP.
He said said that while they are celebrating this win they are also
demanding that, "the state finish the job and deliver maps that are
fair to our communities.”
State Sen. Steve Livingston, who serves as majority leader in the
Alabama Senate, said the ruling was being reviewed. "At this time,
we are pleased with the court’s ruling in the Huntsville area and
disappointed by the ruling in the Montgomery area. We will determine
next steps after a thorough review of the opinion in the coming
days.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall did not immediately respond
to a request for comment. The state could appeal the ruling.
The legislative case mirrors a long-running legal fight over the
state’s congressional districts which led to a new district being
created ahead of last year’s election.
The ruling will alter the legislative map around Montgomery but will
not change the balance in the Alabama Legislature. Republicans hold
lopsided majorities in both legislative chambers. The 35-member
Alabama Senate currently has seven Black senators.
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