Expert discusses placement of Alabama’s second majority-minority congressional

With the Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Allen v. Milligan, Alabama is now required to redraw its congressional map to include two majority-minority districts.

The redrawing of lines could reshape all the congressional districts in some way. One expert predicts Districts 1 and 2 could see the biggest changes.

READ MORE: Leaders react to SCOTUS ruling on Alabama congressional districts

“The only way I could really see map makers pulling off a second majority-minority district without upsetting the current majority-minority district which is Terri Sewell’s 7th Congressional District is that you’d have to break up what is currently Jerry Carl’s district on the Gulf Coast and the Wiregrass counties in Barry Moore’s district,” said David Hughes, an associate professor of political science at Auburn University at Montgomery. “They are going to have to create this majority-minority district by going into Mobile County and getting a lot of Black democrats around the Gulf there. Then they’ll have to go up and through the eastern part of Alabama’s Black Belt counties.”

One of the six Alabama Republicans in Congress could lose their seat. Hughes said it could come down to Carl and Moore.

“The eastern part of the Black Belt is currently divided between Barry Moore and Mike Rogers. Mike Rogers’s district might get a little upset too, but I think he’s going to be in a better position to keep his seat. A, because a lot of his district will probably remain intact but B, he has a lot more seniority compared to Barry Moore and Jerry Carl who are still relative newcomers,” said Hughes.

Maps from Alabama Forward, the organization led by Evan Milligan, the lead plaintiff in Allen v. Milligan, shared hypothetical maps created by an expert witness for the case.

Congressman Jerry Carl said he was disappointed Alabama had to redistrict again.

“I’m disappointed that we find ourselves redistricting once again and that two conservatives joined with the liberal judges to create a majority and overrule Alabama’s congressional map. I will always fight for south Alabama and will make sure our communities stay intact,” he said in a statement.

The Alabama Constitution requires the Alabama legislature to draw congressional maps, meaning a special session will likely be needed. It’s unclear when that session will be called.

SEE ALSO: Supreme Court rules in favor of Black voters in Alabama redistricting case

We asked for an update from Gov. Kay Ivey’s office but did not receive a response.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall contends the legal battle is not over. His office released a statement on the court’s ruling Friday:

Although the majority’s decision is disappointing, this case is not over. The Court made clear that its ruling was based only on the preliminary injunction record compiled in just a few weeks before the January 2022 district court ruling. The State is still entitled to put on our full case at trial, and we are confident that the evidence will make clear that voters in Alabama, regardless of their race, have the same opportunity as any other members of the electorate to participate in the State’s political processes and elect…