The formation of a second district with a sizable Black population was mandated by the Supreme Court on Thursday in an unexpected verdict in favour of Black voters in a congressional Alabama redistricting lawsuit.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the court's liberals in upholding a lower court decision that found an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black seat out of seven congressional districts in a state where more than one in four residents is Black to be likely in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Due to its potential to undercut the important voting rights statute, the case has been keenly monitored.
At arguments in October, the justices looked prepared to make it more difficult to utilize the Voting Rights Act to challenge redistricting plans as being racially discriminatory. The court had permitted the disputed map to be used for the 2022 elections.
Roberts participated in conservative high-court majorities in past instances that restricted the application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to racial minorities in ideologically conflicting opinions in 2013 and 2021.
On Thursday, the other four conservative justices cast dissenting votes.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the court's liberals in upholding a lower court decision that found an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black seat out of seven congressional districts in a state where more than one in four residents is Black to be likely in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Due to its potential to undercut the important voting rights statute, the case has been keenly monitored.
At arguments in October, the justices looked prepared to make it more difficult to utilize the Voting Rights Act to challenge redistricting plans as being racially discriminatory. The court had permitted the disputed map to be used for the 2022 elections.
Roberts participated in conservative high-court majorities in past instances that restricted the application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to racial minorities in ideologically conflicting opinions in 2013 and 2021.
On Thursday, the other four conservative justices cast dissenting votes.
