Alabama lawmakers to convene to redraw maps US Supreme Court declared unfair to Black voters

By KIM CHANDLER
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s governor has set a special session for lawmakers to redraw congressional maps that the nation’s high court declared unfair to Black voters. Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday called for the session to begin July 17. The justices agreed with a three-judge panel’s ruling that the maps illegally diluted the political power of Black voters and likely violated the Voting Rights Act. The panel ruled that Black residents should make up the majority of voters in two Alabama districts, not just one. The judges gave the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature until July 21 to adopt a new map and submit it for review.