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US Supreme Court clears way for Alabama Republicans to pursue new voting map

A speaker addresses protesters at a rally over voting rights and redistricting outside the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. May 4, 2026.  REUTERS/Jayla Whitfield-Anderson/File Photo
A speaker addresses protesters at a rally over voting rights and redistricting outside the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. May 4, 2026. REUTERS/Jayla Whitfield-Anderson/File Photo Reuters

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for Alabama Republicans to pursue a congressional voting map more favorable to their party ahead of November's midterm elections, the latest fallout from the court's seismic voting rights ruling.

The justices lifted a lower court's decision that had blocked state Republicans' preferred map as racially discriminatory and for illegally diluting the voting power of Black Alabamians.

The politically conservative Southern state is expected to seek to revert to this previous map, which would drop the number of districts where Black voters comprise a majority, or near-majority, from two to one out of the state's seven U.S. House districts.

(Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Nia Williams)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 6:12 PM.

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