A panel of three federal judges has struck down Alabama’s latest map of congressional election districts for not following a court order to comply with the landmark Voting Rights Act.
In an order released Tuesday, the judges said they are “deeply troubled that the State enacted a map that the State readily admits does not provide the remedy we said federal law requires.”
"We are not aware of any other case in which a state legislature — faced with a federal court order declaring that its electoral plan unlawfully dilutes minority votes and requiring a plan that provides an additional opportunity district — responded with a plan that the state concedes does not provide that district," said U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco and U.S. District Judge Terry Moorer. "The law requires the creation of an additional district that affords Black Alabamians, like everyone else, a fair and reasonable opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The 2023 Plan plainly fails to do so."
While they would if they could as they have already shown, I’m pretty sure this goes above their heads. I could be wrong and please someone correct me if so, but a special master’s map if implemented is not subject to the legislatures’ approval as that would largely defeat the purpose.
The state government still physically administers elections. If the state chooses to ignore the court’s orders, there’s nothing the Federal government could do to force the election to be free and fair short of sending in the military to run it directly.
2024’s election is gonna be lit!!