In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court has placed a stay on a lower court’s ruling against the newly drawn voting districts in the state of Alabama. The short-term consequences of this decision mean that the new election maps, which voting advocates say unfairly disadvantage Black voters, will nevertheless be used in the state’s upcoming 2022 elections. The Supreme Court has also said that it will hear Alabama Republicans’ case to permanently overturn the lower court’s ruling against their maps. The 2020 Census indicated that Alabama’s Black population increased by 2 percent, while its White population decreased by 4 percent. However, under the new congressional map, Black Americans remain the majority in just one of the state’s seven congressional districts.