WVAS Local

Appeal Announcement

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published August 29, 2025 at 8:41 PM EDT

The State of Alabama has announced plans to appeal to a federal judge’s order to swiftly redraw state Senate district lines in Montgomery County.

This, after U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ruled last week that the current maps violate the Voting Rights Act, and that the Alabama Legislature must create a new majority Black district before the 2026 mid-term elections. In papers filed Thursday, an attorney for Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, said any new maps must be in place by November 17th, in order to prepare for the May 2026 primary elections.

WVAS Local

Melanie Hogan

Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.

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