Federal court blocks Alabama congressional map under Voting Rights Act

A three-judge federal district court blocks Alabama's congressional map on January 24, 2022, finding that plaintiffs are substantially likely to prove a Section 2 Voting Rights Act violation. The court says Alabama should create a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The Supreme Court later stays the order for the 2022 elections, but the case returns as Allen v. Milligan. The litigation becomes a major test of whether Section 2 still protects minority voters in redistricting. The case begins the modern Alabama redistricting fight that leads to a major Supreme Court voting-rights ruling in 2023.