Overview
- Tennessee’s Republican-led legislature passed the new congressional map Thursday, and Gov. Bill Lee signed it into law the same day after a rapid special session.
- The plan dismantles the Memphis-anchored 9th District held by Democrat Steve Cohen, dividing the city into three GOP-leaning seats and positioning Republicans to target all nine U.S. House districts.
- Lawsuits followed on Friday as the Tennessee Democratic Party, four Democratic candidates, and four voters filed a federal challenge, and the NAACP brought a separate suit.
- Democratic lawmakers protested on the chamber floor during debate, with Sen. London Lamar warning of lost representation and Rep. Justin Jones staging symbolic actions to denounce the map.
- The redraw is part of a wider GOP push to revisit maps after the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling, drawing condemnation from Michigan’s Legislative Black Caucus and Detroit Caucus and signaling more fights in other states.