Alabama appeals ruling ordering new congressional districts

By KIM CHANDLER
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama began appealing a federal court ruling that ordered the state to draw new congressional districts, including a second district with a substantial number of minority voters.  The Alabama attorney general’s office on Tuesday filed a notice of appeal to the judges’ order that blocked the current map from being used in upcoming 2022 elections. The state argued similar maps had been in use for decades with court approval and the ruling is problematic with the closeness of May primaries. A three-judge panel on Monday issued a preliminary injunction that blocked Alabama from using its current map in 2022 elections. Judges said the plan gives Black voters “less opportunity than other Alabamians to elect candidates of their choice to Congress.”