Tennessee’s political landscape shifted dramatically this week after Governor Bill Lee approved a controversial congressional redistricting plan that erases the state’s lone majority-Black district and could hand Republicans control of all nine of Tennessee’s U.S. House seats.
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The legislation was signed May 7 after a tense three-day special session dominated by protests, Democratic walkouts, and accusations of racial discrimination. The Republican supermajority pushed the proposal through shortly after repealing a decades-old state restriction that barred lawmakers from redrawing congressional maps between federal census cycles.
The mood on the ground in Tennessee today. pic.twitter.com/DBjSuzAh6H
The old map centered Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District in Memphis and Shelby County, preserving a majority-Black district that consistently elected Democrats. Under the new configuration, Shelby County is divided among three separate congressional districts, dispersing Memphis voters across broader Republican-leaning regions. Davidson County, home to Nashville, also saw expanded fragmentation, moving from four congressional districts to five.
BREAKING
Democratic lawmakers repeatedly argued the redraw was designed to weaken Black political influence ahead of the 2026 elections. State Sen. London Lamar delivered emotional remarks during debate, comparing the effort to a revival of Jim Crow-era tactics. Rep. Justin J. Pearson argued the unusual mid-decade redraw was intended to dilute Black voting power outside the normal census process.
Rep. Justin Pearson is assaulted by a law enforcement officer in the Tennessee state capitol, and rightfully gives him an earful pic.twitter.com/ORzsTZZbWe
Sen. Jeff Yarbro said the special session itself was “without question illegal,” while Rep. Ronnie Glynn criticized the speed of the process and warned voters could face confusion before the August primaries.
My speech on the Tennessee House Floor today as our state voted to eliminate Memphis’s only majority Black congressional district. https://t.co/D5VYN9cJnN
Rep. Antonio Parkinson condemned the breakup of Memphis representation and floated the idea that the city should “secede” from the state in protest. Outside the Capitol, demonstrators packed committee rooms and hallways throughout the session. Several protesters were removed by law enforcement, including the brother of Pearson.
Tennessee is finding out what happens when you try to take away the rights of black voters by gutting the Voting Rights Act.Republicans think that this outrage will just go away quietly,but it doesn’t look like it will so they better be prepared for the long haul. pic.twitter.com/Nj8rcpXD0J
The NAACP Tennessee State Conference filed a lawsuit late Thursday in Davidson County Chancery Court, alleging the process violated both state law and constitutional protections. Longtime Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen called the plan a “corrupt power grab” and vowed to challenge it in court.
Republican leaders defended the redraw as a lawful partisan strategy following a recent Supreme Court ruling weakening portions of the Voting Rights Act. They also acknowledged the special session came after pressure from President Donald Trump to strengthen a Republican “Red Wall” before November’s elections.
JUST NOW: Rep. Todd Warner walks into the house to strip majority Black Memphis of representation wearing a trump flag as a cape as Rep. Camper of Memphis looks on Video: https://t.co/VdXCbvwOeK pic.twitter.com/zuhc1NQbfX
