The Supreme Court on Monday waded once more into the high-stakes battle over congressional redistricting—but the decision doesn't seem to be the partisan power grab that it is being portrayed as.
In a 5–4 ruling, the justices issued a temporary stay that blocked a lower federal court from ordering Alabama to redraw its new congressional districts on the grounds that the map disadvantaged minority voters. Though the Supreme Court indicated it is willing to consider the case on the merits at a later time, the immediate outcome of Monday's order is that Alabama's districts are likely to be used, as drawn by state legislators, in this year's midterm elections.
