(The Center Square) – Two Southern states are holding special legislative sessions this week after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in a Louisiana redistricting case.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called for the sessions two days after the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s redistricting map relied too heavily on race.
In Tennessee, Lee has asked the General Assembly to return to Nashville on Tuesday and redraw the state’s congressional map. All but one of Tennessee’s congressional seats are held by a Republican.
Democrat Steve Cohen has represented the 9th Congressional District since 2007.
“This transparent effort to create a seat for a member of Congress who will rubber stamp Trump’s increasingly bizarre and dangerous agenda will also dilute the Black vote in Tennessee to the point of irrelevance,” Cohen said in a statement. “I have been consulting with voting rights lawyers and other experts to fight this move with every option available, political and legal.”
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., candidate for governor, was the first to call on Tennessee state lawmakers to reconvene for a special session to redraw the map.
State Senate Democrats called the redistricting effort a “power grab.”
“Using a court decision that weakens voting rights protections as an excuse to dismantle minority political power is morally bankrupt,” said Memphis Sen. London Lamar, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. “It dishonors the ancestors who marched, bled and died for our right to vote and be represented.”
Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari of Memphis said it is a case of voting discrimination.
“And let’s be clear about what this moment reveals: Republicans have the power to cut grocery bills, lower costs and give working families real relief, but they’d rather spend it on gerrymandering Memphis,” Akbair said. “The Tennessee General Assembly should refuse. No legislator who believes in democracy should pick up this torch.”
Lee said after speaking with state officials, he believes lawmakers have a responsibility to redraw the map.
“We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters,” Lee said.
Ivey called for the special session even though the state is involved in a lengthy legal quagmire.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Monday he is filing an emergency motion with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate injunctions that block the state from using a state Senate district map enacted in 2021.
Motions challenging Supreme Court injunctions on the state’s 2023 congressional redistricting map were filed on April 30.
“The Supreme Court has now made clear that you cannot assume race and politics are the same thing, you have to actually show they’re separate,” Marshall said in a statement. “Because the lower court’s injunction cannot stand in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, we have asked the court to lift the injunction. Alabama deserves the right to use its own maps, just like every other state.”
Alabama Democrats said they plan to protest outside the Capitol when lawmakers return on Monday afternoon.
The reaction to the Supreme Court decision varied among other Republican southern governors.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has ruled out a special session for redistricting. The state’s primary elections are May 19.
In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a redistricting bill passed by lawmakers that is projected to give Republicans a four-seat gain in November elections.
While South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has not called for a special session, he has indicated on social media that he supports it.
“The U.S. Supreme Court upheld South Carolina’s current congressional map in 2024,” McMaster said. “In light of the Court’s most recent decision on the Voting Rights Act, it would be appropriate for the General Assembly to ensure that South Carolina’s congressional map still complies with all requirements of federal law and the U.S. Constitution.”
