Alabama asks Supreme Court to intervene in dispute over congressional lines

Washington — Alabama connected Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to fto it support Republican-drawn legislature lines successful spot arsenic the authorities continues to combat a tribunal bid to make a 2nd territory wherever Black voters represent a bulk oregon adjacent to it.

Despite losing astatine the Supreme Court earlier this twelvemonth successful the long-running redistricting case, Alabama is pursuing different appeal, hoping for a antithetic effect with the astir caller GOP mentation of the map. Alabama asked the justices to enactment a ruling issued past week by a three-judge sheet that that blocked the usage of the latest GOP-drawn districts successful upcoming elections and directed a court-appointed peculiar maestro to suggest caller lines for the state.

The judges, successful their ruling, said Alabama lawmakers deliberately defied their directive to make a 2nd majority-Black territory oregon thing adjacent to it and they were "deeply troubled" that the authorities enacted a representation that "does not supply the remedy we said national instrumentality requires."

The Alabama lawyer general's bureau asked justices to enactment the bid connected clasp portion the authorities appeals "so that millions of Alabama voters are not soon districted into that court-ordered radical gerrymander." 

"Race-based redistricting astatine the disbursal of accepted principles 'bears an uncomfortable resemblance to governmental apartheid,'" the lawyer general's bureau wrote successful the petition to Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles exigency requests arising from the southeast, referencing a 1992 Supreme Court sentiment successful a lawsuit involving radical gerrymandering.

Alabama officials asked the Supreme Court to contented a enactment of the panel's bid nary aboriginal than Oct. 3, erstwhile the territory tribunal has scheduled a proceeding to prime a new, court-drawn map.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which backed 1 of the tribunal challenges successful Alabama, likened the state's actions to that of erstwhile segregationist Gov. George Wallace who tried to halt Black students from entering the University of Alabama successful 1963.

"This is simply a shameful and arrogant continuation of a sordid past successful Alabama that denies adjacent rights to Black Alabamians, nary substance however the United States Supreme Court rules," Holder said.

The Supreme Court successful June upheld a three-judge panel's uncovering that Alabama's anterior representation — with 1 majority-Black territory retired of 7 successful a authorities that is 27% Black — apt violates Section 2 of the national Voting Rights Act. The 3 judges said the authorities should person 2 districts wherever Black voters person an accidental to elite their preferred candidates.

Alabama lawmakers successful July hastily passed a caller representation arsenic a remedy. However, it maintained a azygous majority-Black territory and boosted the percent of Black voters successful different district, District 2, from astir 30% to astir 40%. The three-judge sheet chided Alabama lawmakers for flouting their instruction. The sheet directed a court-appointed peculiar maestro to taxable 3 projected caller maps by Sept. 25.

The state's petition to the Supreme Court comes aft the 3 judges refused to enactment their bid connected clasp arsenic the authorities appeals. The judges said authorities voters should not person to endure different legislature predetermination nether an "unlawful map."

"We repetition that we are profoundly troubled that the State enacted a representation that the Secretary readily admits does not supply the remedy we said national instrumentality requires. And we are disturbed by the grounds that the State delayed remedial proceedings but did not adjacent nurture the ambition to supply that required remedy," the judges wrote Monday arsenic they refused to enactment their order.

Alabama's anticipation for a reversal of luck seems to astatine slightest partially hinge connected persuading Justice Brett Kavanaugh to enactment the state's broadside successful the latest round. Kavanaugh did not articulation successful each of the bulk opinion.

Alabama's tribunal filing repeatedly cites Kavanaugh's concurring sentiment successful the lawsuit this summer. He wrote that adjacent if race-based redistricting was allowed nether the Voting Rights Act for a play of time, that "the authorization to behaviour race-based redistricting cannot widen indefinitely into the future."

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