In response to the Supreme Court's Callais v. Louisiana decision curtailing Voting Rights Act protections (as covered in this series), Alabama lawmakers have begun a special session to reinstate 2023 congressional maps if courts lift a prior ban. Critics say the move would undermine Black representation.
Alabama's Republican-controlled legislature convened the special session after the April 29, 2026, Callais ruling limited race-based considerations in redistricting. Federal courts had struck down the 2023 maps for diluting Black votes—Alabama's population is over 25% Black—leading to new maps that created a second Black Democrat-held seat. The courts banned redistricting until after 2030, but the state attorney general has asked the Supreme Court to lift that injunction.
Republican Rep. Chris Pringle's bill would revert to the old maps only if courts approve, potentially triggering a special election. The May 5 primary proceeds as scheduled. With a GOP supermajority, passage is likely, though civil rights groups promise challenges.
In House hearings, Democrat Napoleon Bracy Jr. grilled Pringle: 'Back then, that map was deemed not in the best interests of Black people... now all of a sudden... the same racist map... will come back to life and not be racist anymore?' Pringle responded: 'All this bill does is provide an opportunity for the citizens... to cast their vote for the candidate that they're choosing.' Leaders frame it as honoring voters, not race.
Public testimony opposed unanimously, calling it a civil rights setback. Outside, Rep. Terri Sewell led 'We won't go back' chants: 'This is about whether communities like ours can elect leaders who understand their lived experience.'
