SCOTUS Overrules Self From April, Tells Alabama To Be As Racist As It Wants The Supreme Court has vacated a lower court decision that blocked Alabama from using gerrymandered congressional maps, which were found to violate the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment by eliminating a Black majority district. This reversal, occurring shortly before primaries and despite an earlier SCOTUS ruling upholding the block, is seen as partisan and a violation of the Purcell Principle. The Court cited a recent decision, Callais v. Louisiana, even though the majority opinion in that case stated it was unrelated to the Alabama case.

• The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) vacated a lower court’s decision blocking Alabama’s gerrymandered congressional maps.
• The lower court had found the maps violated the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment by eliminating a Black majority district.
• SCOTUS had previously upheld the lower court’s decision in 2023.
• Alabama can now use the blocked maps for upcoming primaries.
• The decision is criticized for potentially violating the Purcell Principle (prohibiting election interference close to voting) and for being inconsistent with a recent SCOTUS ruling (Callais v. Louisiana).
• The author perceives the decision as partisan and racist.