(The Center Square) – Protestors were surrounding the Tennessee State Capitol hours before lawmakers opened a special session to redraw district lines that some say are meant to disenfranchise Black voters.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called for the session two days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a lower court’s instruction on Louisiana’s redistricting map relied too heavily on race.
“I find it extremely rich that the moment the GOP majority had an opportunity to attack the 9th Congressional District, they seized it,” said Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, during a news conference outside the Capitol. “This has historically been filled with people of color. That district is 61% Black, so there can be no other intent.”
State Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, disagrees.
“I think that is an argument that is trying to chase rabbits, it’s a red herring,” Barrett said in an interview with The Center Square. “This is strictly an opportunity for the Republican Party, I think, to pick up another seat. I don’t think there’s any way of sugar coating that.”
Democrats and protestors made their presence known inside and outside of the Capitol. During a meeting of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Rules, Chairman William Lamberth, R-Portland, repeatedly asked for silence. The noise rose again after a proposed rule was presented that would bar anyone removed from a chamber or committee for an outburst for the entire session.
“For God’s sake everybody else you were quiet for and you allowed them the respect of just putting the rule submission out there,” Lamberth said. “All of us say, on a regular basis, that differing voices are to be heard and respected so that differing viewpoints can be considered.”
The meeting ended with the gallery singing the national anthem while lawmakers approved the rules.
House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, said the rules approved by the Republican members of the committee lacked transparency.
“We called for at least 72 hours of public review of any redistricting maps, full disclosure of the data and methodology behind those maps, and meaningful public hearings across West, Middle, and East Tennessee so that every voice could be heard,” Camper said in a statement. “In contrast, the rules advanced by the majority fall far short of that standard. They preserve the power to move quickly, limit scrutiny, and avoid full transparency around how these maps are drawn and who is influencing them.”
The House and Senate gaveled in and out quickly on Tuesday afternoon. The bulk of the debate over the new district lines is expected on Wednesday and Thursday.
(The new maps were not revealed before this publication.)
Barrett doesn’t think the changes will just be focused on Memphis.
“I think we’re going to see at least four, maybe five districts significantly change,” Barrett said.
Redistricting will be a fluid process over the next five to 10 years due to growth in Tennessee, he said.
“Whatever we do this week for the congressional maps, it’s probably going to change again in four years,” Barrett said, referring to the 2026 midterms. “And then it’s probably going to change again shortly after that because it’s a dynamic situation we are in. There’s no need to really wring your hands about this being some sort of permanent thing that’s going to be the end of the world.”
Democrats have vowed to fight. U.S Rep. Steve Cohen, the sole Democratic congressman representing Tennessee, called Tuesday a “terrible day” for Memphis and Tennessee.
“We know the Black votes are being taken advantage of,” Cohen said. “They’re put in the back of the bus. Just like Rosa Parks stood up in Montgomery, we’re standing up here.”
