Red state's election-rigging gambit hits a wall in federal court

Red state officials trying to redistrict their state congressional map suffered a setback in a lower court on Friday.

According to Alabama journalist Kyle Whitmire, a three-judge panel denied Alabama a stay, saying that it doesn't have the jurisdiction. Alabama officials have been trying to undo a federal injunction that came out of the case Allen v. Milligan, which restricts state lawmakers from redistricting until the next Census in 2030.

Alabama officials filed an emergency motion demanding a stay that ended up before the three-judge panel earlier in the week, asking it to lift its own injunction. A separate emergency order was filed to conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles requests from the 11th Circuit asking the Supreme Court to lift an injunction.

Quoting the panel, Whitmire relayed, "Quite simply, we do not have the authority to issue an order that upends Alabama's status quo, especially in the middle of an election, while our injunction establishing that status quo is well under review in the nation's highest court."

Whitmire went on to explain, "the court's subtext: why are you asking US and why are you asking US now?" The court noted that "the state could have asked for a stay when it appealed and didn't," Whitmire added.

Now, the Supreme Court is the only hope for Alabama officials seeking to redistrict in time for the midterms, as it's the only arena left where they can get what they want before the red state's new May 19 primary date.