Congressional map ruling a ‘bombshell’ for Alabama lawmakers
When Alabama lawmakers are in session, the legislature is usually where the action takes place. But this week, the big happening came from a panel of federal judges. They blocked Alabama from using its new congressional maps based on the 2020 census lawmakers approved last year. The judges ordered the legislature to redraw the maps to include a second district with a significant number of minority voters.
“It was nothing short of a bombshell really. This is a monumental ruling and it’s going to have political ramifications far and wide,” said Todd Stacy, host of Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal and publisher of the Alabama Daily News.
There was nothing shocking about the other major news from Montgomery. Lawmakers finished a special session Thursday to appropriate more than $772 million in federal COVID relief funds.
Stacy offered an update on this week’s legislative work.
Congressional Maps
Legislative reaction to the ruling largely fell along party lines with Democrats celebrating. Republicans were not happy.
“They drew these maps according to what they thought the law required and the rules were and feel like it’s unfair,” Stacy said.
The court has told lawmakers to redraw the maps by Feb. 11 or the judges would step in and make changes themselves. It’s not clear which route legislators would prefer.
“Right now, I’d say that’s about 50/50 either way,” Stacey said.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has appealed the ruling to an appellate court and the U.S. Supreme Court. In the meantime, the ruling throws a wrench into the usual work of the legislature. Redistricting is a complicated process and Todd suggested legislators might as well ask the governor to call another special session to take up the issue. The overturned maps already came out of a special session in the fall which Todd described as “quite a slog.”
“I don’t think you have a lot of legislators, especially in the majority, the Republicans, who are eager to dive right back in to redistricting,” Todd said. “They’re kind of tired of all that.”
COVID Special Session
In contrast, it was smooth sailing for a package of bills authorizing spending more than $772 million in COVID relief funds. That money will largely go to broadband expansion, sewer and water infrastructure and reimbursing health care facilities.
Discussion around those measures was largely bipartisan.
“Republicans and Democrats, they are both kind of singing “Kumbaya” at the moment on this federal relief money which is pretty significant,” Stacy said.
About one billion dollars of additional federal COVID money will arrive later this year but not until after the regular session ends. Still, lawmakers have already started to think about where that money might go.
Todd expects addition reimbursements for hospitals and nursing homes. Improvements to mental health care facilities are another possibility.
“You can imagine lots of agencies have similar types of requests,” Stacy said.
What should you do in a flash flood? Expert safety tips for before, during and after
Flash floods can start suddenly and become dangerous quickly. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself, both in the moment and well in advance.
A recent high-profile case of AI hallucination serves as a stark warning
MyPillow creator Mike Lindell's lawyers were fined thousands for submitting a legal filing riddled with AI-generated mistakes. It highlights a dilemma of balancing technology and using it responsibly.
A dive into mermaid camp
Mermaids may not be real, but that hasn’t stopped people from turning it into a career. Mermaiding isn’t just about fantasy. It’s about building real confidence and skills that carry over into other water sports.
This TikTok video is fake, but every word was taken from a real creator
TikTok researchers and users say there is yet another type of deception to look out for on the hit video app: Deepfake videos that copy the exact words of a real creator but in a different voice.
Why a new opioid alternative is out of reach for some pain patients
Journavx is the first truly new painkiller approved by the Food and Drug Administration in more than 20 years. But the drug is expensive, and many people can't get it yet.
Welcome to the Queue, where waiting for Wimbledon tickets rivals the tennis
Tennis lovers don costumes, throw Pimm's parties and camp overnight in line for day-of Wimbledon tickets. Some say waiting in the Queue is more fun than the actual tennis.