A push by President Donald Trump to redraw congressional district maps across the US to boost Republican prospects ahead of the midterm elections faced major obstacles in the Southern states of Alabama and South Carolina.
A three-judge federal panel blocked Alabama Republicans from implementing a new map that would have eliminated one of the state's two majority-Black congressional districts.
"Ultimately, we cannot ask the people of Alabama to vote in the 2026 election under a redistricting plan marred by intentional racial discrimination," the panel wrote in its ruling.
Alabama Republican officials, who had postponed scheduled primary elections for four House seats to craft the new map, said they would appeal Tuesday's decision to the US Supreme Court.
In a separate development, some South Carolina Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting a new map that would have redrawn the district of powerful Representative James Clyburn, a Black Democrat who has held the seat for more than 30 years.
Early voting for the June 9 primary was already underway as state lawmakers voted on the new map Tuesday.
"Neither my conscience nor my common sense will allow me to stop an election that is already under way," local media quoted Republican state Senator Richard Cash as saying.
Designing congressional district maps is a contentious issue in the US, long used as a tool for disenfranchising Black voters in states with a history of racial discrimination.
Republicans have pushed for years to loosen safeguards against such practices, a drive recently boosted by a Supreme Court ruling.
Trump hailed that ruling as "a big win," spurring several Republican-led states to rush redraw maps ahead of the upcoming midterms, where the party hopes to defend its House and Senate majorities amid Trump's low approval ratings.
US states are responsible for drawing House districts and conducting elections. For decades, both parties have pushed maps that favour their candidates — a tactic known as gerrymandering.
Trump has raised the practice to a new level, openly asking state parties to redraw maps to help Republicans maintain control of the House. Democrats have made similar efforts in states they control, including California, where voters approved a map expected to net the party three to five additional seats.
But Democratic efforts have also faced setbacks. A Democratic-drawn map in Virginia was struck down by the state's supreme court earlier this month. Some analysts argue that both parties' efforts risk undermining election integrity, but Democrats maintain theirs is a necessary counterweight to Republican pressure.
