MONTGOMERY — Alabama officials are celebrating a major legal victory after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state may proceed with its August 11 Special Primary Election using the congressional district map approved by the Alabama Legislature in 2023.

In a 6-3 decision issued Tuesday, the Supreme Court granted Alabama’s request to stay lower court orders that had blocked the use of the 2023 map. The ruling allows election officials to continue preparations for the special primary under the legislatively enacted district boundaries and ensures that candidates who qualified by the May 22 filing deadline will remain on the ballot.

Governor Kay Ivey praised the decision, saying it validates Alabama’s authority to draw its own congressional districts and provides certainty for voters and election officials.

“The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what I have said all along and that is that Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best,” Ivey said in a statement. “Today’s decision is a win for the people of Alabama and our elections. Alabama is doing our part to keep America strong, and I am proud our state continues to fight the fight to ensure activists do not get the final say. I will see y’all at the polls August 11.”

Attorney General Steve Marshall also welcomed the ruling, calling it a significant victory for both the state and the principle of self-governance.

“Tonight’s decision is a major victory for Alabama and for the principle of self-governance,” Marshall said. “The United States Supreme Court confirmed what we always knew: that Alabama’s Congressional maps are constitutional and lawful under the Voting Rights Act.”

Marshall said the Supreme Court’s decision reinforces the longstanding principle that elected state lawmakers, rather than federal judges, have the primary responsibility for drawing congressional districts. He argued that the court’s recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais changed the legal framework surrounding redistricting disputes and that the lower court failed to properly apply that precedent when it blocked Alabama’s map.

The attorney general further contended that Alabama has faced excessive federal oversight in redistricting matters and said the state should be afforded the same authority as other states to establish congressional districts that reflect its legislative objectives.

“For too long, Alabama has been denied the full measure of its sovereignty by judges who insist on treating our state as though it never moved beyond the 1960s,” Marshall said. “No more.”

Marshall added that the state intends to continue defending the 2023 congressional map as litigation moves forward and expressed confidence that Alabama’s position will ultimately prevail on appeal.

The Supreme Court’s ruling removes immediate uncertainty surrounding Alabama’s upcoming special primary election and allows election preparations to continue under the congressional map enacted by the Legislature in 2023. The August 11 Special Primary Election will now proceed using those district boundaries unless future court action dictates otherwise.