A federal court in Alabama has picked a new congressional map that is likely to result in a Democratic gain from the previous Republican stronghold. The three-judge panel on Monday approved the new map that would be used in 2020 elections, marking the first redistricting the state will undergo since 2010. The new map, which was proposed by African-American, Hispanic, and Asian-American plaintiffs, is significantly more compact and competitive. The new congressional lines would create two congressional districts with majority Democratic voting—one in the Huntsville area and the other in Birmingham—and one Democratic-leaning district in Mobile. The new map is a significant departure from the current congressional districts, which have been in place since 2002 and are heavily gerrymandered to favor Republicans. The new map is expected to lead to a Democratic pick-up in the House of Representatives from the current Republican seven-seat majority.
