Key Takeaways
- • Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen announced plans to file a lawsuit in state court challenging a newly approved congressional redistricting map that dismantles the state's sole majority-Black district by splitting Shelby County into three separate districts.
- • The new map redraws Cohen's current District 9, which stretches from South Memphis east to Lynchburg in Moore County, fragmenting Black voting power across three districts where minorities would lack sufficient influence to elect their preferred representatives.
- • Cohen's legal challenge is anchored in allegations of racial gerrymandering and follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that restricted states' ability to create majority-Black districts under Voting Rights Act compliance, emboldening Republican efforts to eliminate Democratic-leaning minority districts nationwide.
- • The Tennessee House passed the redistricting legislation with a 64-25 vote (3 abstentions), establishing three new congressional districts from the previously consolidated Shelby County area: District 5 (downtown Memphis to Franklin), District 8 (Midtown/East Memphis to Perry County), and District 9 (South Memphis to Moore County).
- • Cohen stated the lawsuit aims to preserve Congressional District 9 as a majority-minority district through 2028 and indicated other lawmakers would likely join as plaintiffs, with the case expected to proceed under Tennessee state law rather than federal court.
Summary
Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen announced Thursday that he intends to file a lawsuit challenging a newly enacted congressional redistricting map that effectively eliminates the state's only majority-Black district by fragmenting Shelby County into three separate congressional districts. The announcement came immediately after the Tennessee House approved the revised map on a 64-25 vote, with 3 members abstaining, marking a significant escalation in partisan redistricting battles across the United States.
The redrawing of Tennessee's congressional lines represents a deliberate geographic split designed to dilute Black voting power. Under the new configuration, District 5 stretches from downtown Memphis north and east into Franklin; District 8 encompasses parts of Midtown and East Memphis, extending northeast to Perry County; and District 9 begins in South Memphis and extends east to Lynchburg in Moore County. Cohen currently represents the existing District 9, which functions as a majority-minority district. Under the new map, Black voters would be dispersed across all three districts as minorities, substantially reducing their electoral influence.
Cohen characterized the redistricting as racially motivated, stating: "Somebody who drew the map or told the guy to draw the map…told him divide the Black vote up in the three districts to where they are a minority, and they don't have enough influence to elect a member of their own choosing." He told FOX13 that he plans to file suit in state court and expects other plaintiffs to join the litigation. His legal strategy targets preservation of the current District 9 configuration through 2028.
The timing of Tennessee's action reflects a broader national pattern following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued last week that fundamentally altered redistricting jurisprudence. The Court determined that Louisiana relied excessively on race when creating a second Black-majority House district in an attempt to comply with the Voting Rights Act. That decision significantly narrowed decades of established legal precedent, providing Republican-controlled legislatures nationwide with constitutional grounds to challenge and eliminate majority-Black districts that have historically elected Democratic representatives. Tennessee Republicans moved swiftly to leverage this newly opened legal pathway, making the state one of the early adopters of post-ruling redistricting changes.
The redrawing of Tennessee's congressional lines represents a deliberate geographic split designed to dilute Black voting power. Under the new configuration, District 5 stretches from downtown Memphis north and east into Franklin; District 8 encompasses parts of Midtown and East Memphis, extending northeast to Perry County; and District 9 begins in South Memphis and extends east to Lynchburg in Moore County. Cohen currently represents the existing District 9, which functions as a majority-minority district. Under the new map, Black voters would be dispersed across all three districts as minorities, substantially reducing their electoral influence.
Cohen characterized the redistricting as racially motivated, stating: "Somebody who drew the map or told the guy to draw the map…told him divide the Black vote up in the three districts to where they are a minority, and they don't have enough influence to elect a member of their own choosing." He told FOX13 that he plans to file suit in state court and expects other plaintiffs to join the litigation. His legal strategy targets preservation of the current District 9 configuration through 2028.
The timing of Tennessee's action reflects a broader national pattern following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued last week that fundamentally altered redistricting jurisprudence. The Court determined that Louisiana relied excessively on race when creating a second Black-majority House district in an attempt to comply with the Voting Rights Act. That decision significantly narrowed decades of established legal precedent, providing Republican-controlled legislatures nationwide with constitutional grounds to challenge and eliminate majority-Black districts that have historically elected Democratic representatives. Tennessee Republicans moved swiftly to leverage this newly opened legal pathway, making the state one of the early adopters of post-ruling redistricting changes.
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