A federal judicial panel has allowed Tennessee to use a new congressional map that splits the majority-Black 9th District in Memphis, clearing the way for its use in the August 6 primary elections. The three-judge panel, consisting of two Trump appointees and one Obama appointee, declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the new districts, ruling that the lawsuit challenging the map was unlikely to succeed on its merits.
The new map, approved by Tennessee Republicans in May, effectively eliminates the state's only Democratic-held and majority-minority district. Opponents argued that the redistricting was motivated by racial discrimination, violating the U.S. Constitution. However, the judges found that plaintiffs lacked direct evidence of racial motivation, stating that political motivations could explain the map's effects.
The redistricting came shortly after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to redraw districts to their advantage, aiming to hold onto a slim U.S. House majority in the November elections. Tennessee is one of eight GOP states to engage in mid-decade redistricting since last year.
Republicans have maintained that their actions were driven by partisan politics, seeking to win the lone Democratic-held seat among the state's nine districts. The Supreme Court's 2019 ruling allows legislatures to draw partisan districts. Meanwhile, critics argue that the decision continues to disenfranchise Black voters in Memphis.