A federal judicial panel has allowed Tennessee to use a new congressional map that splits a majority-Black district in Memphis, a decision that could aid Republicans in their efforts to gain an additional House seat in the upcoming midterm elections. The three-judge panel declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the revised districts, clearing the way for them to be used in the Aug. 6 primary elections.
Tennessee's Republican-controlled legislature redrew its congressional districts in May, shortly after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. This redistricting effort is among eight similar actions taken by GOP-led states since last year, part of an effort to bolster Republican numbers in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Opponents of the new map argued that Republican lawmakers were motivated by racial discrimination, which would violate the U.S. Constitution. However, Republicans maintained that their motivations were purely political, aimed at winning the state's lone Democratic-held congressional seat. Under a 2019 Supreme Court ruling, legislatures are permitted to draw partisan districts.
The federal judges, two of whom were appointed by former President Donald Trump and one by former President Barack Obama, stated in their opinion that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are unlikely to succeed because they "lack any direct evidence of racial motivation." The ruling noted that "political motivations readily explain the map’s dilutive effects."
In April, the Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, citing it as an illegal racial gerrymander. This decision weakened the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, which previously provided minorities with an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The ruling has since opened pathways for Republicans in several Southern states to redraw voting districts with significant minority populations that have elected Democrats, often citing political intent.
The new Tennessee map carves up the Memphis-based district, which has a majority-Black population and has been represented for approximately two decades by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen. Under the revised boundaries, the Memphis area is now divided among parts of three districts. Rep. Cohen's reshaped district now extends eastward for several hundred miles and includes parts of the Nashville suburbs. Cohen announced shortly after the map's approval that he would not seek reelection.
Amber Sherman, a Memphis voter and plaintiff in the lawsuit, expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating that it is "painful" to face an election under a map that diminishes the voting power of Black residents. "We deserve the same opportunity to shape our future as anyone else," Sherman said. "When our voting power is diluted, our neighborhoods have a harder time making their voices heard on the issues that shape our daily lives."
Ari Savitzky, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project, argued that Republicans "chose to destroy the state’s lone pocket of Black political power in federal elections." Taylor Meehan, an attorney representing Tennessee election officials, rejected the claim of racial discrimination, asserting that "racial data was turned off" during the map's creation and that "the map was drafted for politics." Meehan also argued that it was too late to revert to the previous congressional districts, as primary election ballots had already been finalized with the new boundaries and early voting had commenced.