U. S. District Judge Anna Manasco on Monday ordered Alabama to use a new state Senate map in the 2026 and 2030 elections that is “identical” to one drawn and submitted by a minor resident, according to court documents. Why It Matters The court order comes in response to a 2021 lawsuit regarding the state Senate map at the time. The lawsuit argues the map dilutes the voting strength of Black citizens in Montgomery, Alabama. A Special Master produced three remedial plans, with Plan 3, which modifies only two districts, matching “D. D. Plan 5. 0,” drawn by “a minor resident of the State of Alabama.” The ruling comes as redistricting has become a national issue ahead of midterm elections. There have been a number of Congressional redistricting proposals pushed as each party attempts to craft more favorable maps in hopes of securing more seats in Congress during the 2026 midterm elections. The court enjoined the 2021 map, due to violations of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial gerrymandering when it dilutes minority votes. What To Know Manasco, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, issued the ruling on Monday, writing, “the Court orders the use of a remedial map that was prepared race-blind and affords Black voters in the Montgomery area an equal opportunity, but certainly not a guarantee, to elect Senators of their choice.” The ruling enjoins the Alabama secretary of state from conducting state Senate elections per a redistricting plan that the Alabama Legislature enacted in 2021, which it states violates Section Two of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The new map adjusts two Montgomery-area districts, in what the judge says, “unpacks District 26 by moving some Black voters from District 26 into the adjacent District 25.” The court also notes the minor behind the new map, writing, “The original drafter of Remedial Plan 3, D. D., stated in his filing that he did not display any racial demographic data while he drafted the Plan.” In an October 31 filing, the defendant, Secretary of State Wes Allen, a Republican, rejected the three remedial plans proposed by the Special Master, arguing that “each of the three proposed plans is a racial gerrymander.” The filing concluded, “To be sure, the Secretary does not waive any objections to Remedial Plan 3; it’s just the least bad of several bad options.” The plaintiffs, which include the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, also don’t support the plan, writing in an October 31 filing, “Plan 3 does not provide an adequate remedy for Black voters in Montgomery, limiting their opportunity to elect to mostly White candidates.” The lawyers pushed for Special Master Plan 2, and a rejection of Plan 3, noting that “Black-preferred candidates (regardless of race) win less than 50% of the time.” The ruling is expected to maintain districts that fall along the current partisan balance in the state’s Senate, according to the Associated Press, which currently has a Republican majority of 27 to 8. The map ruling comes after lawmakers were given an opportunity to draw a new proposal, but Republican Governor Kay Ivey did not hold a special session on the matter. What Happens Next The judge ordered the map to go into effect for the upcoming elections.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-appointed-judge-orders-state-to-use-new-senate-map-drawn-by-teen-11075987
