A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected Alabama Republicans’ attempt to revive a GOP-friendly congressional redistricting plan, ordering the state to use a court-approved map with two majority-Black districts for the 2026 midterm elections.

The three-judge panel halted efforts to revert to the 2023 map, which had been previously blocked in voting-rights litigation.

Under that plan, Republicans sought to eliminate a Democratic-leaning Black-majority district in southeastern Alabama.

“Ultimately, 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 judges wrote.

“We again cannot understand the 2023 Plan as anything other than intentionally discriminatory.”

The ruling comes after the Supreme Court recently allowed Alabama to temporarily proceed with the 2023 map while sending the case back for further review.

Tuesday’s decision by the appeals court reverses that momentum and keeps the current map — which gives Democrats stronger chances in two districts — in place for now.

Alabama Republicans are expected to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, prolonging a years-long legal battle as filing deadlines and primary dates approach.

President Donald Trump has encouraged Republican-led states to redraw maps aggressively following the Supreme Court’s recent Callais ruling, which tightened limits on race-based districting.

Similar battles are playing out in states including Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana.