Federal Courts Hand Republicans Another Major Election Win

The panel ruled that the Supreme Court’s recent Voting Rights Act decision did not change its earlier conclusion that Alabama’s proposed map intentionally discriminated against Black voters in violation of the Constitution.

“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the ruling stated.

The panel included two judges appointed by President Donald Trump and one appointed by former President Bill Clinton.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall quickly vowed to appeal directly to the Supreme Court, calling the Republican-backed map “blandly unobjectionable.”

Meanwhile, South Carolina Republicans recently backed away from an effort to dismantle longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn’s majority-Black district after resistance emerged within the state legislature.