Alabama Rally Demands New Voting-Rights Era as Supreme Court Decisions Reshape Representation

On Saturday, thousands assembled in Selma and marched to the Alabama Capitol, protesting recent Supreme Court rulings that have weakened voting-rights protections and calling for a new voting-rights era.

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The 1965 Selma marches spurred the Voting Rights Act, later narrowed by the 2013 Supreme Court decision and a Louisiana case, prompting a 2023 redrawing of Alabama’s 2nd district and Aug. 11 primaries.

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Organizers include LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter; civil-rights veteran Kirk Carrington; Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL); House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-AL); and plaintiff Evan Milligan.

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Black residents make up about 27 % of the 2nd district; the rally drew “thousands.” The new map could let Republicans reclaim the seat, reshaping Black representation nationally.

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Rep. Figures said the dispute concerns voters’ ability to elect preferred candidates. Ledbetter argued the Louisiana decision allows correction of a court-imposed map. Milligan urged continued activism.

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Brown called the map changes a coordinated assault on Black political power. Carrington lamented the ongoing fight for voting equality. Milligan expressed grief over the Voting Rights Act’s erosion.

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A lower court required a majority-Black district, yet the Supreme Court cleared a different map, creating inconsistency. The new district’s demographic makeup and legal compliance remain unclear.

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• “The bottom line is we are seeing a full-fledged, coordinated attack on Black political power that can actually reshape the entire political landscape, not just on the South but throughout the nation,” — LaTosha Brown, co-founder, Black Voters Matter

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• “We’re picking up where it was left because we still have unfinished business,” — LaTosha Brown

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• “It’s really just appalling to me and all the young people that marched during the ’60s, fought hard to get voting rights, equal rights and civil rights,” — Kirk Carrington, civil-rights veteran

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• “When Republicans are literally turning back the clock on what representation, what the faces of representation, look like, what the opportunities, legitimate opportunities for representation look like across this country, then I think it starts to resonate with people in a little bit of a different way,” — Rep. Shomari Figures

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• “People tend to forget what happened. When this thing went to court, the Republican Party had that seat, congressional seat two,” — Nathaniel Ledbetter, Alabama House Speaker

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• “We have to accept that this is the new reality, whether we like it or not,” — Evan Milligan, lead plaintiff, Alabama redistricting case

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Special primaries on Aug. 11 will test the new map, while the matter remains under litigation.

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