A three-judge panel has upheld Tennessee’s new congressional map, which splits the majority-Black and longtime Democratic stronghold of Memphis across three different districts.
The ruling comes on the heels of a different outcome in Alabama. A three-judge panel there struck down the state’s redistricting plan as “intentionally” discriminating based on race.
In Tennessee, the NAACP’s case in this first petition did not hinge on race but on whether the General Assembly had the authority to strike down a 50-year-old law that prohibited mid-decade redistricting. The judges found that lawmakers had that power it did.
In its ruling, the court argued that the NAACP had “misread” Gov. Bill Lee’s proclamation that called the special session on redistricting.
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsChancellor Anne Martin (left) and Chancellor Tony Childress, confer during a hearing about Tennessee’s mid-decade redistricting plan on May 21, 2026.
The judges also found that candidates had been harmed by the new map, meeting Tennessee’s newer, higher threshold for lawsuits against the state.
During a May 21 hearing, Nashville Chancellor Anne Martin seemed to take issue with the state’s assertions that a candidate does not have “an interest in representing a particular constituency.”
“Have you ever run for office before?” Martin asked. “Part of the analysis is: how much is it going to cost? How many voters do I need to reach? … As a candidate, you have to make a decision about whether or not it’s a winnable race based on a whole lot of factors, most of which, where are your votes going to come from?”
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In a separate lawsuit, the NAACP has argued that the maps dilute the power of Black voters. That lawsuit is still ongoing and was consolidated with two others in federal court.
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