• Redistricting

Caster v. Allen

01.31.2024
  • Alabama
  • Ongoing

Following the victory of the National Redistricting Foundation-supported Caster Plaintiffs in the landmark case Allen v. Milligan, which upheld a trial court’s injunction against the state’s 2021 map, Alabama responded by enacting a map that contained only one Black opportunity district. This map stood in defiance of federal law and orders from federal courts at every level, demanding that Alabama comply with the Voting Rights Act and produce a congressional districting plan that contains two districts where Black voters have the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice, rather than just one. The Caster Plaintiffs requested that the court temporarily enjoin the state’s remedial map as a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act, which the court granted. Given the deficiencies in the state’s proposed remedial plan, the district court established a judicial process to select a remedial map for use in the 2024 elections. In that process, the court chose a fair map with two Black opportunity districts drawn by an impartial special master. However, the fight wasn’t over. The state of Alabama continued to fight enforcement of the Voting Rights Act requiring NRF to continue the fight in court to ensure that all Alabamians have a fair and non-dilutive congressional map for future elections. The Caster Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint challenging the state’s proposed remedial congressional map plan as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Following a bench trial occurring in February 2025, the trial court ruled that Alabama’s congressional map violates both the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. On August 7, 2025, the court issued a judgment enjoining the state from using their violative remedial map and requiring the state to use the special master’s map for the remainder of the decade. This order ensures that Black Alabamians will have two congressional districts in which they have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. Alabama has appealed the court’s decisions to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is considering the state’s petition.