Alabama Republicans' Battle to Undermine Voting Rights Act and Historical Precedents

Alabama Republican legislators are reportedly defying a Supreme Court directive to redraw congressional voting maps with a second majority-Black district as part of a larger strategy to force the high court to rehear the entire case and strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The plan, championed by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and other ALGOP officials, is rooted in the belief that the Supreme Court never seriously considered the merits of Alabama's case and instead limited its ruling to the stay issued by the lower federal court. Critics argue that this plan ignores Chief Justice John Roberts' directive to include two majority-Black districts. Alabama Republicans believe their D.C. connections have "intelligence" that Justice Brett Kavanaugh is open to rehearing the case on its merits. The goal is to overturn Section 2 and polish Marshall's conservative credentials for a future run for higher office.