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Alabama Files Emergency Supreme Court Petition to Pause Map Order

5/28/2026

39 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Alabama filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a three-judge panel’s order that the state’s new congressional map intentionally discriminated.
The state argues the map meets legitimate districting goals and that abandoning it would cause irreparable harm to voters.
Attorney General Steve Marshall announced an immediate appeal to the Supreme Court, saying he is disappointed but not surprised.

History

Historical Context

1993’s 5-4 Shaw v. Reno decision, authored by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, said racially drawn districts must pass strict scrutiny. That rule guided Miller v. Johnson (1995) and the 2024 Allen v. Milligan case, which held Alabama’s map violated the Voting Rights Act despite a 30 % Black population. Attorney General Steve Marshall now seeks a stay of the panel’s order to restore partisan-gerrymandering tactics.

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Story summary

Alabama filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a three-judge panel’s order that the state’s new congressional map intentionally discriminated.
The state argues the map meets legitimate districting goals and that abandoning it would cause irreparable harm to voters.
Attorney General Steve Marshall announced an immediate appeal to the Supreme Court, saying he is disappointed but not surprised.

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