Alabama finally has a new congressional map after a lengthy legal fight

A line of people wait outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14 for a hearing to consider new congressional districts. Federal judges had ruled that the state's 2022 district map diluted Black voters' power.

Kim Chandler / Kim Chandler

The lines on Alabama’s congressional map have shifted — along with some of the state’s political power.

After a high-profile legal fight that lasted roughly two years, a panel of three federal judges on Thursday picked a map that will be used when Alabamians cast their 2024 vote for who will represent them in the U.S. House.

The new map adds a second congressional district where Black voters’ preferred candidate is projected to win a majority of the time.