Tennessee Republicans pass new congressional map splitting Memphis

Tennessee's General Assembly approved a new congressional map on May 7 that splits Memphis and divides the city's majority Black voters into neighboring districts, intended to eliminate that state’s last Democratic congressional seat.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the state's new redistricting map into law. It is the first since a Supreme Court ruling on April 29 weakened the remaining provision of the Voting Rights Act, making it tougher for states to create minority-dominated districts.

The high court last month voted 6-3 to throw out a congressional map in Louisiana that had been drawn to protect the voting power of Black residents, a decision that limits the landmark civil rights law.

In Tennessee, the newly drawn districts split the state's 9th Congressional District and carve up Tennessee's only majority-Black congressional seat into three districts, two of which stretch from Memphis to Williamson County outside Nashville. Meanwhile, Nashville and its surrounding counties have been split into five districts, up from four.

The move will help fulfill President Donald Trump’s request that Republican-dominated states undertake an unusual mid-decade redistricting to increase the number of GOP-leaning congressional seats in advance of the 2026 elections.