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4h ago

Federal Panel Allows Tennessee Map That Splits Majority-Black Memphis District

The ruling signals courts will face high hurdles to block mid-decade redistricting after the Supreme Court narrowed voting-rights protections.

FILE - House Democrats gesture on the chamber floor as they vote against a bill to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps during a special session of the state legislature, May 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., of Memphis, speaks during a news conference before a special session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps on May 5, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - A person leaves the state Capitol after a special session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps May 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
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Overview

  • A three-judge federal panel denied a preliminary injunction on Thursday, allowing Tennessee’s new congressional map to be used in the Aug. 6 primaries and the November midterm elections.
  • The plan breaks up the state’s only majority-Black district in Memphis and replaces one solidly Democratic seat with districts drawn to favor Republicans.
  • Judges said plaintiffs offered no direct evidence that race, rather than politics, motivated the redraw and noted political aims can explain the map’s dilutive effects.
  • Court filings and officials warned that early voting began July 17 and primary ballots were finalized, and the judges cited those logistical realities in refusing a last-minute change.
  • The decision builds on an April Supreme Court ruling that narrowed protections under the Voting Rights Act and has spurred several GOP-led mid-decade redraws, and the challenge to Tennessee’s map remains pending on appeal.