gerrymandering

The two Republicans running for Alabama's redrawn 2nd Congressional District clashed in a debate that aired Monday ahead of next week's runoff. Two Democrats will also be on the ballot in a runoff for that party’s nomination.

Alabama voters shook up the state's congressional delegation Tuesday, throwing out one Republican incumbent and sending four candidates to runoffs in a district redrawn by a federal court to give Black voters greater opportunity to elect a representative of their choice.

The Louisiana Legislature's redrawn congressional map giving the state a second mostly Black district is being challenged by 12 self-described "non-African American" voters in a new lawsuit. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered Alabama to redraw its map, to include a second majority minority district.

A divided federal appeals court on Monday ruled that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP do not have the ability to sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act, a decision that contradicts decades of precedent and could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law. This part of the law enabled Alabama voters to sue successfully for second black majority district.

A collection of U.S. House members, and at least one U.S. Senator say they’re leaving Congress. The website Politico reports this surge of departures over the past three weeks puts Capitol Hill on pace have more members retire before the next election than in any similar cycle over the past decade. Alabama’s new black majority House District is expected to add to the chaos. And, the implications are considered huge.

State House member Napoleon Bracy, Jr. announced a bid for Alabama's revamped 2nd Congressional District, kicking off what is expected to be a competitive race in the newly drawn Democratic-leaning district in the Deep South state.

Alabama’s newest Congressional district may prompt a rare political battle in the State. Namely, two current Republican Congressmen fighting for their party’s nomination for one available seat in the U.S. House. The primary fight, if it happens, would be due to a newly redrawn set of voting district lines that creates an overlap with two previously GOP territories.

"Embarrassing," "chaotic" and "irresponsible." And those were just the words that House Republicans used to describe the past three weeks as they removed one speaker from office and splintered over three successive nominees before finally landing on House member Mike Johnson, R-La. A possible Democratic win in Alabama is another concern.

A federal judge ruled that some of Georgia's congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, ordering the state to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district. This follows similar actions against Alabama which were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

A federal judge said that the court will soon adopt new congressional districts for Alabama, choosing among proposals aimed at giving Black voters a greater opportunity to influence election outcomes in the Deep South state, perhaps as soon as this week.