(The Center Square) – A federal judge denied a request to temporarily halt Tennessee’s new redistricting lines on the same day three Chancery Court judges dismissed a complaint from the NAACP and others.
The lawsuits challenge the maps redrawn during a special session that carve Memphis and Shelby County into three districts. Memphis was previously in the 9th Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, the only Democrat in Tennessee’s nine-member congressional delegation.
Cohen dropped out of the race after state lawmakers and Gov. Bill Lee approved the new districts. Memphis and Shelby County are now in the 5th, 8th and 9th districts.
U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. issued his ruling on a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, three Memphis voters, the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute, and the Equity Alliance. The complaint said the new districts discriminated against Blacks and were “retaliation” against Black voters who exercised their right to political affiliation. They hope to stop the redistricting before the Aug. 6 primary.
Campbell considered the “Purcell principle” in his decision, which is based on a precedent that cautions courts from changing state election rules on the “eve of an election.”
“On balance, given the timing of the legislation vis-a-vis the election, Plaintiffs’ immediate request for relief, and the relative burdens, it does not appear to the Court that this is a case where the Purcell principle alone warrants denial of an injunction,” Campbell said in his order. “The Court does, however, give strong weight to the likelihood of voter confusion in the face of ongoing litigation close to an election, regardless of the outcome of that litigation.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from the ACLU.
NAACP attorney Anthony Ashton argued before a three-judge panel in Davison County Chancery Court that the redistricting votes went beyond Lee’s call for a special session and were unconstitutional. The panel issued its decision that upholds the map on Tuesday afternoon.
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from the NAACP.
Tennessee lawmakers admitted they redrew the maps as part of a national effort to give Republicans an edge in Congress. Other southern states have not been as successful.
South Carolina lawmakers thwarted a redistricting effort in that state aimed at 17th term Democratic U.S. Rep. James Clyburn.
A federal judge blocked a new congressional map in Alabama on Tuesday. Appeals are pending.
Florida has had better success. Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a social media post that he was not surprised that the state’s new congressional maps were upheld by a federal court on Tuesday.
North Carolina’s new map also withstood litigation. Louisiana’s win at the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to be parlayed into a new map.
Georgia lawmakers will return to Atlanta for a special session on June 17 to consider redrawing that state’s districts but the changes will not take effect until the 2028 election cycle.
