Justice Sotomayor defends Black voters in Alabama, following Monday's unexpected ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority issued a 6-3 order Monday allowing Alabama to eliminate a majority-Black congressional district just one week before the state's primary election.

The decision reverses the court's 2022 ruling in Allen v. Milligan, which ordered Alabama to create a second majority-Black district despite the state's population being approximately 26% African American, according to Common Dreams. Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the ruling, noting the court previously found Alabama "intentionally diluting the votes of Black voters."

“That constitutional finding of intentional discrimination is independent of, and unaffected by, any of the legal issues discussed in Callais,” Sotomayor added.

Monday's ruling follows a similar 6-3 decision last month striking down Louisiana's congressional map as a racial gerrymander while voiding Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Meanwhile, the ACLU and the ACLU of Tennessee filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Black voters challenging Tennessee's newly approved map that dismantles Memphis's majority-Black district.

Law professor Justin Levitt cynically said on Bluesky, “Boy, it’s a complete mystery why the public thinks the court is making partisan political decisions.”

Watch the video below.

Your browser does not support the video tag.