May 26, 2026, 9:00 p.mMay 26, 2026, 9:00 p.m
Demonstrators protested against the planned changes last week. (archive image)Image: www.imago-images.de
A federal court in Alabama has temporarily blocked the redrawing of electoral districts in the US state. The Republicans thus failed in their attempt to reintroduce a district plan from 2023 that, according to judges, discriminates against black voters. According to the court filing, the court temporarily prohibited Republican-governed Alabama from “conducting the 2026 congressional elections in accordance with the 2023 plan.”
The case has already dealt with courts in the USA several times. The current order is an interim injunction. It is a defeat, at least in the short term, for the Republicans in the southern state. Because Alabama has already appealed the order.
Parties use gerrymandering to gain advantages
The background to the redesign of constituencies – the so-called gerrymandering – is that the constituencies have to be redesigned every ten years so that they each contain a similar number of residents. In practice, however, parties often use this process to gain advantages: areas from a part of the constituency with a clear majority can be moved to another constituency where the race is tighter.
In the Alabama case, the judges held that the Republicans’ required districting plan intended to distribute the votes of black voters among the districts in a way that diluted them.
Short-term defeat for the Republicans
In many states, US courts deal with such cases. On November 3rd there will be general elections in the USA: The House of Representatives will be completely re-elected, and part of the Senate. In these midterm elections, every single representative mandate could be decisive. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, his party colleagues in the states are redrawing the lines in favor of the Republicans. Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Ohio had new districts or plans for them. The Democrats followed suit in California and Virginia, but are currently in a worse position.
The so-called midterms are seen as a mood test for Trump’s policies: If the Republicans lose their currently very narrow majority in even one of the two chambers of parliament in the midterm elections, Trump will no longer be able to push through any major legislative initiatives. (sda/dpa)