Alabama has filed an emergency appeal in its congressional map case, a week after a three-judge panel struck down on the matter.
In a filing submitted on Monday, Alabama state officials asked the Supreme Court to freeze the lower court’s ruling by October 1st. State officials also noted that the ruling can be put on hold as late as October 3rd, when a lower court’s proceedings are scheduled to select court-drawn alternatives of the congressional map.
The filing comes hours after a three-judge panel denied the state’s request to pause their decision on its congressional map.
Some thoughts:
The Supreme Court ultimately were the ones who sustained the AL map being thrown out in the first place. While I’m sure politically the conservatives would prefer to see the lower court rule frozen, it would also be a clear and obvious attempt to undermine SCOTUS’ authority.
As for running out the clock and the Ohio comparison, the circuit court was clearly aware of this and has ruled a special master is to take redistricting out of the AL legislature’s hands. That’s the major issue with Ohio, there is no enforcement mechanism for an unconstitutional map, and for that reason voting rights groups are working to create one via constitutional amendment in 2024.
Plenty of room for a shitty outcome, but I think it’s more likely than not from a legal standpoint that AL gets its second Black district before the 2024 election.