Ongoing legal challenges and court interventions continue to define the electoral landscape in Alabama, Louisiana, and Ohio, with significant redistricting battles influencing the 2024 election cycle and extending into 2025. These states have experienced court-ordered map changes or are facing further judicial scrutiny over their congressional districts, highlighting the complex interplay between legislative map-drawing and judicial oversight. The situation underscores the assertion made by Kirk A. Bado, who stated,
"What about court-ordered redistricting like in AL, LA, and OH later this year? Not all mid-cycle redistricting is created equal."
In Alabama, a federal court-drawn congressional map, which includes a second majority-Black district, was implemented for the 2024 elections. This followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld a lower court's ruling, finding Alabama's 2021 map in violation of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black Alabamians. A trial regarding the state's 2023 map and allegations of intentional discrimination is scheduled for 2025, indicating the protracted nature of the legal dispute.
Louisiana also saw a new congressional map, featuring a second majority-Black district, used for its 2024 elections. This map was adopted after federal courts found the state's previous single-majority Black district unconstitutional. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has expanded the scope of a pending case, scheduling re-arguments for its next term in 2025 to address the constitutionality of race-based redistricting under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This development could have far-reaching implications for similar cases nationwide.
Ohio's congressional maps, previously deemed unconstitutional by the state's Supreme Court due to partisan gerrymandering, were nonetheless utilized for the 2024 elections after related lawsuits were dismissed. The current map, valid only for the 2022 and 2024 elections, necessitates redrawing in 2025. The Ohio legislature has until September 2025 to pass a new map with bipartisan support; otherwise, the responsibility will fall to the Ohio Redistricting Commission. A 2024 ballot initiative aimed at establishing an independent citizens' redistricting commission was rejected by voters, leaving the process in the hands of political bodies.