Federal judge denies Alabama's motion to vacate state Senate map

A federal judge Monday denied the state’s request to revert to Alabama’s 2021 state Senate map, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

Responding to an emergency motion from Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, who sought to reverse the order after the U.S. Supreme Court significantly weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco wrote that she had to “preserve the status quo” after Allen filed a separate appeal to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Under these precedents, the Court has no authority to vacate or stay its injunction,” Manasco, a Trump appointee, wrote. “The eecretary has appealed the permanent injunction that he now asks this court to stay, and his appeal is pending in the Eleventh Circuit. As things now stand, only the Eleventh Circuit can address the merits of the secretary’s arguments for vacatur or stay, and that court has indicated that it intends to do so—on an expedited basis.”

As of early Monday afternoon, the 11th Circuit had not addressed Allen’s motion.




https://alabamareflector.com/2026/05/18/federal-judge-denies-alabamas-motion-to-vacate-state-senate-map/