Supreme Court Justice Thomas Delays Ruling on Alabama Congressional Map

Chief Justice John Roberts’ assigned Justice Clarence Thomas declined to immediately reinstate Alabama’s 2023 congressional redistricting plan. Instead, he ordered the Voting Rights Act plaintiffs to file written arguments by the June 1 deadline explaining why the map should remain unused. The request follows a lower‑court order that blocked the legislature’s map and mandated the use of a master plan that creates a second Black Opportunity District, a change that helped Democrats win a congressional seat in 2024.

Alabama’s Republican attorney general had sought emergency relief to resume the 2023 map, arguing that the lower‑court ruling contradicts precedent and infringes on equal‑protection guarantees. Thomas’ procedural pause gives both sides an opportunity to present their cases before the Supreme Court decides whether to restore the contested map or keep the master‑approved version in place.