A three-judge federal panel in Alabama, two of whom were appointed by Sweet Potato Hitler, ruled Thursday that the state’s new congressional map is too racist even for them.
The unanimous decision blocked the map ahead of the 2026 midterms. The judges found the map showed intentional discrimination against Black voters. The Supreme Court had gutted the Voting Rights Act last month. But it left one narrow path. A map could still be struck down if judges found intentional racism. This map was too racist even for that.
Lawmakers in Montgomery had been confident. They packed Black voters into one district. They spread the rest across districts where their votes would not matter. The plan came from a law called the Alabama Fair Representation Act. Supporters said it was about efficiency.
'We simply wanted to streamline the voter pool,' said state senator Greg Reed, the bill’s sponsor. 'If that means packing Black people into a single zip code, then that’s just good governance.'
The panel did not agree. In a 51-page ruling, the judges said the map was so clearly racist that it made their job easy. 'We normally have to squint to find intent,' wrote Judge Anna Manasco, a the former president appointee. 'Here, the legislature mailed us a signed confession.'
The second the former president appointee joined the decision without comment. The third judge, a senior appointee from an earlier era, sighed audibly during oral arguments.
The ruling threatens a plan Republicans had counted on. Alabama currently has six white Republicans in Congress. The seventh district was held by a Black Democrat. The new map was designed to make that disappear.
State attorneys said they would appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. They pointed to the recent Callais decision. In that case, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that America had moved past racism. He cited data showing Black voter turnout now matched white turnout. New analysis revealed Alito had flipped the numbers. The study he used actually measured boat registrations in Idaho.
'The justice’s broader point stands,' said Alabama’s lead attorney, James Mulvaney. 'Racism is over. Our map is simply catching up to that legal reality.'
The legislature has not started work on a new map. Instead, they passed a resolution demanding a recount of the word ‘racism’ in the judge’s ruling. The resolution passed 27-0. All members were white.
The Supreme Court is expected to take up the case on its shadow docket. A spokesperson said the Court was currently fact-checking the Alabama panel’s ruling using a new study. That study, commissioned by the Heritage Foundation, concludes that the Voting Rights Act has led to widespread discrimination against maps. It suggests that every time a map is struck down, a flag is harmed. Alito is reportedly considering an emergency stay that would allow the map to be used for at least one more century.
