Judge shoots down challenge to Tennessee redistricting

On Thursday, a federal judge blocked the NAACP’s challenge to a revised congressional map for the state of Tennessee. That decision came after the court heard arguments from Tennessee State Conference NAACP President Gloria Sweet-Love. Chief U.S. District Judge William Campbell Jr. ultimately ruled that any failure to adhere to the revised map would interfere with voting for the Tennessee 2026 primaries in August. This was the fourth lawsuit challenging redistricting in middle Tennessee.

How did we get here? On May 7, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that completely redistricted Memphis and the surrounding area of Shelby County. The bill was in response to President Donald Trump’s push for red states to redraw their congressional maps ahead of the upcoming elections. The move broke up the 9th District in Tennessee, the state’s only black and Democratic majority district.

Just six days later, the NAACP and the League of Women Voters in Tennessee filed a lawsuit over the new congressional map, claiming it suppressed black votes. They also argued that it violated and weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voter discrimination of minority groups.

Dig deeper: Read Joanna Insco’s report on more widespread Southern redistricting efforts.