August 22, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, AL – In a mixed ruling on Alabama’s state Senate redistricting case, a federal court has found that the state’s map violates the Voting Rights Act in Montgomery but upheld the current map makeup in the Huntsville area. The decision is an important victory for Black voters, though advocates stress that Alabama still has work to do to ensure its maps provide fair representation.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Alabama, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), and Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) argued that Alabama’s 2021 State Senate districting plan artificially diluted the political power of Black Alabamians by cracking significant Black communities in the Huntsville area and packing Black voters in unnecessarily large numbers into one State Senate district in the Montgomery area. The combination of these districting lines with the effects of Alabama’s recent and ongoing racial discrimination against Black voters means that these districts resulted in Black residents of these areas having no opportunity to elect their preferred state Senate candidates. The court’s decision requires Alabama to redraw the Montgomery-area Senate district but leaves the Huntsville district intact.
"This decision proves that when we challenge injustice, we can make progress. Alabama must now draw fairer districts in Montgomery, but let’s be clear—leaving Huntsville untouched still denies many Black Alabamians their rightful representation,” said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP. “We celebrate this win while demanding the state finish the job and deliver maps that are fair to our communities."
“We are pleased that the court recognized the injustice in Montgomery and is requiring Alabama to fix its unlawful redistricting,” said Davin Rosborough, deputy director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “While we are disappointed that Black voters in Huntsville will continue to be denied fair representation, the fight is far from over.”
"Today's decision is a win for voters, particularly Black voters in Montgomery who have long fought to have fair representation in the Alabama state Senate," said Laurel Hattix, senior attorney at the ACLU of Alabama. "While this victory is a critical triumph, our work is far from over as we remain committed to fighting for fair representation for Black Alabamians in Huntsville and the rest of the state."
“Today’s decision is a hard-fought victory for Black voters in Montgomery who deserve fair representation in the Alabama Senate,” said Deuel Ross, director of litigation at LDF. “The court's decision recognizes that, even today, the State continues its terrible history of discriminating against Black voters. While we welcome this win, leaving the Huntsville district in place illustrates that voters must continue to fight for their voices to be heard.”
“This decision isn’t simply a victory for Black voters in Alabama, but all voters in the state. The courts have reviewed the evidence and concluded that the Alabama State Legislature systematically diluted the voting power of Black Alabamians by drawing unfair districts,” said Jack Genberg, senior supervising attorney, Democracy and Voting Rights Litigation Team, Southern Poverty Law Center. “This ruling underscores the urgent need to reform our redistricting process and restore meaningful voter participation to ensure fair and equitable rights for all people of this state.”
A copy of the ruling can be found here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2025/08/AL-NAACP-v.-Allen.pdf
