Gov. Ivey, AG Marshall celebrate state’s redistricting victory
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Special to the News
Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday celebrated Alabama’s major victory in the state’s congressional redistricting battle.
The U.S. Supreme Court granted Alabama a stay of court orders issued last week, officially allowing the August 11 special primary election to go forward using the 2023 congressional map drawn by the Alabama Legislature.
The governor issued the following comment:
“The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what I have said all along, and that is that Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best. Today’s decision is a win for the people of Alabama and our elections. Alabama is doing our part to keep America strong, and I am proud our state continues to fight the fight to ensure activists do not get the final say. I will see y’all at the polls August 11!”
Again, this decision allows the August 11 special primary election to go forward using the 2023 congressional map drawn by the Alabama Legislature. The candidates who qualified by May 22 under the 2023 map will be on the ballot August 11.
Additionally, Attorney General Steve Marshall released the following statement after Tuesday night’s 6-3 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court upholding Alabama’s congressional map.
“Tonight’s decision is a major victory for Alabama and for the principle of self-governance. The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what we always knew: that Alabama’s congressional maps are constitutional and lawful under the Voting Rights Act. The Court’s decision to stay the district court’s injunction affirms that Alabama’s elected representatives, not federal judges, have the primary authority to draw the maps under which Alabamians choose their own leaders.
“The Supreme Court rightly recognized that its recent decision in ‘Louisiana v. Callais’ fundamentally changes the legal landscape. The district court’s brazen refusal to apply that controlling precedent left the Court with no choice but to intervene and put a stop to the district court’s attempts to override the will of the people. The Court also acknowledged that a state enjoined from enforcing the laws passed by its own legislature suffers real harm.
“For too long, Alabama has been denied the full measure of its sovereignty by judges who insist on treating our state as though it never moved beyond the 1960s. No more. We have the same right as any other state to draw our own congressional maps according to our own legitimate districting objectives, without being held to a different and more burdensome standard by federal courts.
“The High Court agreed that Alabamians should elect their representatives under the map chosen through their democratic process. And we will not allow unelected judges to repeatedly redraw our state’s electoral maps in defiance of the Supreme Court’s own standards. We look forward to full vindication on appeal and will continue to defend Alabama’s right to conduct its own elections.”