Chief U.S. District Court Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. issued an order on Thursday blocking Tennessee Democrats’ emergency effort to halt the implementation of the state’s newly enacted congressional map and election law changes ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
Last week, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), the Tennessee Democratic Party, and several other voters and candidates filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the state’s new congressional map and election law changes from taking effect during the 2026 election cycle.
In the 23-page initial complaint, plaintiffs argue the state changed the rules “in the middle of the game” by moving the candidate qualifying deadline from March 10 to May 15 and creating a new special qualifying period for candidates after campaigns had already been operating for months under the previous congressional map.
Plaintiffs argue the legislation would create widespread voter confusion and disrupt election administration by redrawing congressional districts and altering candidate qualifying deadlines after campaigns had already been underway for months under Tennessee’s previous congressional map.
The complaint also claims the compressed election timeline could interfere with counties’ ability to comply with federal absentee ballot deadlines for military personnel and overseas voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.
As part of the lawsuit, plaintiffs sought immediate emergency relief blocking the state from implementing the new map and election rules during the 2026 election cycle.
In a one-page order filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Campbell denied plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order seeking to prevent Tennessee officials from enforcing the redistricting legislation signed into law by Governor Bill Lee last week.
Campbell (pictured above), who was nominated by President Donald Trump to the court in 2017, wrote in his order that plaintiffs’ motion was “DENIED as to the request for a temporary restraining order” and canceled a hearing previously scheduled for May 20.
The judge’s order said a more detailed memorandum explaining the court’s reasoning would be issued later.
Thursday’s ruling leaves the state’s newly approved congressional districts and revised election procedures in place as Tennessee prepares for the August 2026 primary elections.
Campbell’s order was celebrated by Tennessee Republicans, including Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), who called the development a “huge win.”
Tennessee’s newly redrawn congressional map is facing multiple legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have filed separate complaints challenging the map in federal court, while the NAACP has also filed a separate lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X.
Photo “Judge William ‘Chip’ Campbell” by Senate Judiciary Committee.
