Story perspectives

Alabama Seeks SC Relief; Louisiana House Primary Suspended

5/11/2026

Summary

Story summary

Alabama asked the Supreme Court on May 8 to lift an injunction and use its 2023 map with one majority-Black district.
A federal judge said only the Supreme Court can act, leaving Alabama’s map blocked and suspending Louisiana’s House primaries.
Louisiana officials recorded 206,000 early ballots for the May 16 primary, said House votes won’t be counted, set a May 15 absentee deadline, and heard Democrats and civil-rights activists oppose eliminating majority-Black districts.

History

Historical Context

The 1986 Supreme Court decision in Thornburg v. Gingles applied Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, requiring that a compact, cohesive minority group large enough to form a single-member district receive a majority-minority seat, prompting states such as North Carolina to adopt single districts. Alabama’s 2023 congressional map, with one majority-Black district, faces a Supreme Court petition that could reshape Section 2 enforcement in South.

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Story summary

Alabama asked the Supreme Court on May 8 to lift an injunction and use its 2023 map with one majority-Black district.
A federal judge said only the Supreme Court can act, leaving Alabama’s map blocked and suspending Louisiana’s House primaries.
Louisiana officials recorded 206,000 early ballots for the May 16 primary, said House votes won’t be counted, set a May 15 absentee deadline, and heard Democrats and civil-rights activists oppose eliminating majority-Black districts.

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