Federal judge orders district map for Montgomery to be redrawn

A federal judge recently ruled that the current district map in Montgomery is in violation of the Voting Rights Act and ordered that it be redrawn, though the map for Huntsville was upheld. 

The ruling, made by U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco, comes after a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Alabama, Legal Defense Fund, and Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). 

A statement from the ACLU said that the 2021 State Senate districting plan "artificially diluted" the vote of black residents by "cracking" communities in Huntsville and packing them in Montgomery. 

The lawsuit argued that the districting discriminated against black voters and made it unfair when electing candidates to the state senate. 

“We are pleased that the court recognized the injustice in Montgomery and is requiring Alabama to fix its unlawful redistricting,” said Davin Rosborough, deputy director of the ACLU’s voting rights project. “While we are disappointed that Black voters in Huntsville will continue to be denied fair representation, the fight is far from over.”

A copy of the ruling can be found here.