A three-judge panel on Tuesday blocked a Republican-drawn congressional map in Alabama from going into effect, writing that the district lines “intentionally discriminated based on race in violation of the Constitution.”

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“We cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the panel of federal judges wrote.

The decision is a setback for Republicans, who sought to enact the map after a major redistricting ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court last month. The map would eliminate one of Alabama’s two majority-minority districts, putting the GOP in position to gain a seat in this year’s midterm elections.

Alabama is expected to appeal the ruling. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey scheduled a second primary date in August for the districts affected by the Republican-drawn map. Other primaries were were held in the state on May 19.

“The Legislature well knew that a plan without an additional Black-opportunity district would dilute Black Alabamians’ opportunity to participate in the political process, and it intentionally enacted that very plan,” the panel wrote. “Further, the Legislature well knew what dilutive mechanisms would prevent Black voters in Alabama’s Black Belt and Gulf Coast communities from having any opportunity to elect representatives of their choice, and the Legislature employed precisely those mechanisms.”

The state has spent years feuding with the courts over its congressional map.

The 2023 map was drawn by Republican legislators who defied a federal court’s order — which was affirmed by the Supreme Court — to create two districts in which Black voters make up voting-age majorities, “or something quite close to it.”

Alabama Republicans instead chose to pass a new map with just one majority-Black seat and a second district that is approximately 40% Black. In response, the court put its own map in place, which was used in the 2024 election.

Alabama is one of several GOP-led states in the South that have rushed to attempt to implement new congressional maps for the mditerms after the Supreme Court gutted a key section of the Voting Right Act, paving the way for the elimination of majority-minority districts represented by Democrats.

No. 1 Alabama’s 2026 season is rolling into Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series after the Crimson Tide won its first two games of the weekend against No. 16 LSU in the super regional round at Rhoads Stadium.

It was more dominance from the Tide pitching staff as Jocelyn Briski pitched a complete-game shutout on Friday in the 7-0 win, and Briski earned the save in Game 2 after freshman Vic Moten allowed only run over four innings in her first super regional start for the 4-1 victory.

Alabama got offensive contributions from different parts of the lineup with Alexis Pupillo having the best weekend with four hits, including two home runs.

Next up for the Crimson Tide (54-7), is a date with No. 8 UCLA (52-8) this Thursday on the opening day of the Women’s College World Series. But before then, here are three of my biggest takeaways from Alabama’s performance in super regionals:

Alabama has the pitching to win a national title

Eight teams across the country punched their tickets to Oklahoma City over the weekend. Some, like Alabama and Tennessee, are expected to be there. Some, like Mississippi State, will be making their first appearance at the WCWS. And some familiar faces, like Oklahoma and Florida, will not be in OKC starting Thursday.

Oklahoma and Florida have a combined 35 WCWS appearances and 10 national titles. Either the Sooners or the Gators have won eight of the last 11 national titles dating back to 2014. Neither team had the pitching to get out of Supers. Oklahoma gave up 18 runs across three games to Mississippi State. Florida allowed 28 runs over the three games against Texas Tech. Alabama has allowed one run over five total games played in the NCAA tournament.

The competition was elevated this weekend as Alabama played an SEC foe in LSU compared to the mid-major schools during the regional round, and the Tide’s top-two pitchers still made it extremely difficult on opposing batters.

Briski and Moten continued to limit free passes with just two total walks compared to 23 strikeouts over the two wins. Briski was even dealing with a little sickness on Friday and appeared to shut down the Tigers with ease.

Anything can happen in Oklahoma City, and Alabama will be tested off the bat against a UCLA offense that leads the nation in home runs with 196. But the Tide should have the arms to keep it in any game and make a deep run at the WCWS.

Weather-tested before OKC

Alabama and LSU had to sit through two separate weather delays on Saturday that lasted about four hours total. As Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy pointed out multiple times throughout the weekend, these players are used to dealing with weather delays from all the years they’ve spent growing up playing travel softball.

But just because they are used to it doesn’t mean that a weather delay is ideal. When your team has all the momentum, any sort of break literally stops that momentum. Alabama was rolling before the first weather delay and had just taken a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning.

The offense did not score again (credit to LSU pitcher Jayden Heavener), but the team still came out of both breaks with the energy needed to close out the game.

Weather delays in Oklahoma City at the WCWS are almost an inevitability. I mean, the city’s lone major professional sports franchise is literally named the Thunder. Several super regionals around the country were affected by weather this weekend, so it won’t just be Alabama that is prepared, but coming fresh off two long delays gives the Crimson Tide that recent experience in case it arises in OKC.

Offense steps up without Wells at her best

Sophomore transfer Brooke Wells has been the engine that powers the Alabama offense this year. For most of the year, she has led the team in batting average, home runs and RBIs. She still leads the team in HRs (23) and RBIs (65.) During super regionals against LSU, Wells went 0-for-8 with five strikeouts.

Alabama still managed to put up 11 total runs across the two games against a solid LSU pitching staff without its best hitter reaching base. Alexis Pupillo brought the power with a home run in each game, and Jena Young had two hits out of the leadoff spot in Game 1, including a bases-clearing double.

The bottom of the lineup came through as well with Salen Hawkins collecting a hit in each game out of the eight-spot. Her two-out, two-RBI single in the fourth inning of Game 2 provided the cushion Alabama needed to put away the Tigers

Wells is used to playing in big games and stepping up to the plate in big moments for the Crimson Tide at times this season, but this is her first trip to the NCAA tournament. Alabama can win without her reaching base–– the Tide proved it this weekend. But in order for Alabama to make a deep run in OKC and have a good chance of winning its first national title since 2012, it likely will need more production from the slugger.

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