Attorney General Marshall working to Restore Alabama's Congressional Map before the May 19 Republican Primary

May 5, 2026 - MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) announced that he has asked a federal court to lift the injunctions that prevents the state from using the Congressional map that the Republican controlled state Legislature drew in a 2023 special session after the court threw out the Legislature's previous map.

Marshall is asking that the court rule in Alabama's favor after the Supreme Court decision in Louisiana where a 6 to 3 majority of the court ruled that redistricting based on racial lines unconstitutional. The landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais has reshaped the legal standards governing redistricting challenges in a way that Marshall believes helps Alabama in its year's long redistricting battle with civil rights groups and their Democratic Party backed allies.

Marshall has filed an emergency motion filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The state argues that the injunctions blocking Alabama's map "are no longer viable" after the Louisiana decision. That ruling held that states may draw districts based on political and traditional geographic considerations and that challengers must prove race rather than partisan politics, was the driving force behind a map's design.

The Court also clarified that evidence of racially polarized voting is insufficient unless plaintiffs can show the patterns cannot be explained by party affiliation.

"The Supreme Court has confirmed that the claims that led to the injunctions against Alabama's map are no longer viable," Marshall said in a statement. "We are asking the court to lift those injunctions so that Alabama can conduct its congressional elections using the map its legislature lawfully enacted."

A Rapid Legal Push Following the Supreme Court's Ruling

Tuesday's filing is the latest in a series of fast‑moving legal actions from the Attorney General since the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Callais.

April 30: Marshall filed emergency motions directly with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to vacate the injunctions on Alabama's congressional map and return the cases to lower courts.

May 4: He filed a separate emergency motion with the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals asking it to lift injunctions on Alabama's state Senate districts-an entirely different set of maps.

May 5: The Attorney General returned to the original district court that issued the congressional injunctions, asking it to stay its own orders while appeals proceed.

Marshall's latest motion asks the district court to rule by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, arguing that the state needs immediate clarity to prepare for the May 19 primary.

Governor Kay Ivey (R) has called the Alabama Legislature into a special session this week to prepare for the possibility that the state may revert to the 2023 nap that it drew instead of the racially gerrymandered one that the federal judges in Atlanta imposed upon the state.

"Alabama deserves the same opportunity as every other state to conduct its elections in an orderly manner using a map drawn by its own legislature," Marshall said. "I will continue to do everything in my power to make that a reality. We are confident the court will recognize that last week's Supreme Court decision requires a fresh look at these injunctions."

The district court's decision is expected within hours. If favorable to Alabama, the Republican dominated Legislature will proceed with its efforts to undue the work of the federal court in Atlanta and their special master.

The plan that Representative Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) introduced on Monday (House Bill1) would turn Congressional District 2 – currently represented by Congressman Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) from a roughly 55 percent Democrat : 45 percent Republican into a roughly 35 percent Democratic 65 percent Republican district. Shomari's home county (Mobile) would revert back to Congressional District 1. CD2 would pick up a number of Republicans from Autauga, Elmore, Houston, and Coffee counties. Since the Pringle plan does not move the primary or open it up to new candidates. This means that Figures would face Montgomery attorney and real estate broker Hampton Harris in the November general election.

The Pringle plan has angered some conservatives – including U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama). Tuberville and Congressman Barry Moore (R-Enterprise). They had wanted the Legislature to redistrict all seven districts so that Republicans could pick up two seats in Congress, not just one. This would impact Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-Selma) – a powerful member of the Democratic congressional leadership - who has held CD7 since her election in 2010.

The state is arguing that CD2 – as drawn by the court's special master – is racially gerrymandered, and thus unconstitutional under Louisiana v Callais. It is very difficult to look at CD7 (either the version drawn by the special master or in the map drawn by the Legislature) and not reach the conclusion that CD7 is racially gerrymandered to create a majority Black district.

Rep. Sewell has no primary or general election opponent so redistricting CD7 would mean cancelling the May 19 primary and moving it to August or September. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen (R) insists that the May 19 primary must go on as planned.

Tuesday was Day 2 of the 2026 Alabama special session.

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