UPDATE: Alabama lawmakers approve new congressional district map – WA…

Congressional District Map approved by the Alabama Legislature, Friday, July 21, 2023

By KIM CHANDLER and JEFF AMY Associated Press

Alabama lawmakers have approved a new congressional district map which does not create a second majority-Black district, despite an order from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The legislation has already been signed by Gov. Kay Ivey. However, the map will be up for review by the federal court to see if it provides enough of an opportunity to elect a second Black member of Congress from Alabama.

The U.S. Supreme Court said Alabama must give minority voters a greater voice in elections. The court upheld a three-judge panel’s finding that the current state map — with one majority-Black district out of seven in a state that is 27% Black — likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act.

Lawmakers passed the map that would increase the percentage of Black voters from about 31% to 40% in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers Montgomery and other…