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The Battle Over Colorado’s Congressional Map Will Be Decided by Voters

By EditorJun 12, 20260 Comments

Colorado's redistricting story in the post-2020 era unfolds in two distinct chapters. The first covers the state's post-census redistricting process, conducted entirely by citizen commissions established by voters in 2018, and the legal challenges that followed. The second, still unfolding, covers the state's response to the nationwide mid-decade redistricting wars launched in 2025, which have drawn Colorado into a contested ballot measure fight that will ultimately be decided by voters in November 2026. Together, the two chapters illustrate both how Colorado's independent redistricting architecture has insulated it from the partisan map-drawing that has roiled other states and the limits of…

Colorado, Strategy and Politicscolorado, policyindepth

New York Lawmakers Approve Amendment Allowing Mid-Decade Redistricting and Partisan Map-Drawing

By EditorJun 09, 20260 Comments

The New York State Legislature passed a sweeping constitutional amendment on June 3, 2026 (S.10637-A/A.11553) that would significantly restructure how the state draws congressional and state legislative district lines. The amendment passed both chambers on party-line votes, with Democrats in the majority supporting it and Republicans unanimously opposed. Introduced jointly on June 1 by the Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the amendment amends Sections 4 and 5-b of Article III of the New York State Constitution and adds a new Section 5-c. Among its most significant provisions it: explicitly permits mid-decade congressional redistricting; replaces the supermajority threshold…

New York, State Lawsmid-decade redistricting, new york, policyindepth

Supreme Court’s Emergency Order Restores Alabama’s 2023 Congressional Map

By EditorJun 04, 20260 Comments

The Supreme Court on Tuesday night allowed Alabama to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, blocking a lower court ruling that the map intentionally discriminates against Black voters. The justices granted the state's emergency appeal to use a map it adopted in 2023 that has a majority-Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts. The three liberal justices dissented. The ruling takes effect immediately, meaning Alabama will use its 2023 map for its August 11 special primary elections covering the affected congressional districts. Unlike many shadow docket orders, the majority provided some explanation in…

Redistricting LitigationAlabama, caseupdates, Latest, mid-decade redistricting

Louisiana Enacts New Congressional Map Into Law, Eliminating One Majority-Black District

By EditorMay 29, 20260 Comments

Louisiana legislators gave their final approval Friday to Senate Bill 121, a congressional redistricting map that eliminates one of the state's two majority-Black districts and gives Republicans a probable additional U.S. House seat ahead of the November midterms. The state Senate approved the final version 28-10 on party lines after the House had passed it 66-36 the day prior. The new map redraws Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields' 6th District, clustering it around predominantly white communities in the Baton Rouge area and southern Louisiana, while adding part of Baton Rouge to the majority-Black 2nd District based in New Orleans, currently represented…

Enacting a Redistricting Map, Louisianalouisiana, mid-decade redistricting, policyindepth

NAACP Loses State Court Battle Over Tennessee’s Redrawn Map – But Federal Fight Continues

By EditorMay 28, 20260 Comments

On May 26, a three-judge panel in state court dismissed a challenge to Tennessee's 2026 congressional map and election law changes, ruling in favor of state officials and leaving the new congressional map in place. The lawsuit was filed by the NAACP Tennessee State Conference and other petitioners, arguing that legislation passed during the special session, which included a new congressional map, changes to election procedures, and the repeal of a ban on mid-decade redistricting, violated the Tennessee Constitution and state law. In its order, the court wrote that "the sovereign State of Tennessee is immune from lawsuits "except as…

Tennesseecaseupdates, mid-decade redistricting, Tennessee

Missouri’s Congressional Map Survives Another Legal Challenge, but the Referendum Fight Is Still Alive

By EditorMay 28, 20260 Comments

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on May 27 that Gov. Mike Kehoe acted within his constitutional authority when he convened the special legislative session that produced the state's new congressional map, rejecting a legal challenge brought by the Missouri NAACP. In a unanimous opinion, the court held that the governor has broad authority to determine when and for what purpose to call the legislature into an "extraordinary" session, affirming the judgment of the lower trial court. The ruling closes out one of three legal tracks challenging Missouri's new map. The referendum signature dispute remains pending in state court, with Secretary…

Missouricaseupdates, mid-decade redistricting, Missouri

Court Declines to Block Florida’s GOP Map, Setting Up Longer Legal Fight

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

A Leon County Circuit Judge ruled today, keeping Florida's mid-decade congressional map in place while the lawsuits continue and election officials prepare for the 2026 races. The judge found that plaintiffs had not shown a substantial likelihood of success, writing that the evidence presented so far was circumstantial and not direct proof of illegal intent. Plaintiffs already filed notices of appeal, and the lawsuits will continue to trial. The lawsuit alleges that the GOP-controlled Legislature and Governor DeSantis enacted a map that violates the State's 2010 Fair Districts Amendments, which prohibit drawing congressional (and state legislative) districts that favor incumbents…

Floridacaseupdates, Florida, mid-decade redistricting

Court Rules Alabama Must Use Court-Drawn Map for 2026

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

A federal three-judge panel has once again blocked Alabama from using its 2023 congressional map, ordering the state to use a race-blind court-drawn plan for its 2026 elections. The court ordered Secretary of State Wes Allen to administer Alabama's remaining 2026 congressional elections, including the August special primaries, using the map previously imposed by the court, which created a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. The ruling came after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the court's earlier permanent injunction and ordered the panel to reconsider in light of Louisiana v. Callais. The…

AlabamaAlabama, caseupdates, mid-decade redistricting

South Carolina Mid-Decade Redistricting Is Dead. For Now

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

The Republican-led South Carolina Senate voted Tuesday against advancing a new congressional map, ending the redistricting effort in the state for now. Twelve Republicans joined with Senate Democrats to vote for a motion to kill the legislative effort to redraw South Carolina's seven congressional districts. The vote was 20-24 against a motion to force a final vote on the bill/map. The high-profile push came to an abrupt end as South Carolina state senators adjourned the special session, backing away from changes to district lines amid surging early voting across the state. Lawmakers spent roughly three hours at the State House…

South Carolinacaseupdates, Latest, mid-decade redistricting, South Carolina

Virginia’s Redistricting Ordeal: A Brief Summary

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

Virginia's Post-2020 Redistricting: From Commission to Courtroom When Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment in November 2020 establishing a bipartisan redistricting commission, it was widely seen as a model reform, a deliberate step away from partisan map-drawing toward a process governed by eight lawmakers and eight citizens working together. That promise quickly ran into reality: the commission deadlocked along partisan lines and missed its November 2021 deadline without producing a congressional map. The Virginia Supreme Court stepped in, appointed two special masters, one drawn from each party's nominees, and approved the resulting congressional map on December 28, 2021. That court-drawn…

Enacting a Redistricting Map, Virginiapolicyindepth, Virginia