U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), the Tennessee Democratic Party, and several other voters and candidates moved to voluntarily dismiss their federal lawsuit seeking to halt the implementation of the state’s newly enacted congressional map and election law changes ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
On Monday, the plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, which was signed off on one day later by Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr., who dismissed the case without prejudice and directed the closing of the file.
The dismissal comes less than a month after Campbell denied the plaintiffs’ request for an emergency temporary restraining order that would have prevented state officials from enforcing the legislation during the 2026 election cycle.
The lawsuit challenged legislation approved during March’s special session of the Tennessee General Assembly that redrew the state’s congressional districts and altered candidate qualifying deadlines after campaigns had already begun under the previous map.
Plaintiffs argued the changes would create voter confusion, disrupt election administration, and unfairly alter the rules governing the 2026 election cycle after candidates had already invested time and resources campaigning in existing districts.
They also raised concerns that the compressed election calendar could complicate compliance with federal absentee ballot requirements for military personnel and overseas voters.
After Campbell denied emergency relief and canceled a scheduled hearing, Tennessee’s revised congressional map and election procedures remained in effect.
In a statement released Tuesday, Cohen, who is not running for re-election for Tennessee’s newly-redrawn 9th Congressional District, confirmed his decision not to continue pursuing the Tennessee Democratic Party-led lawsuit but maintained his opposition to the redistricting effort and support for separate lawsuits led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
“I have decided not to continue pursuing a lawsuit against the gerrymandered Republican redistricting maps but vigorously support the efforts of the ACLU and the NAACP to contest them, which are based on different arguments and have different requests for relief,” Cohen said.
“I firmly believe this was an illegal redistricting effort that was harmful to Memphis and the Black community by diluting their political representation. It is my hope that they will prevail and that the previous district maps will be restored,” he added.
The ACLU and NAACP have filed separate federal lawsuits challenging the redistricting plan.
Meanwhile, one challenge brought by the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP and other plaintiffs was recently dismissed by a three-judge panel of the Davidson County Chancery Court.
With the federal lawsuit now voluntarily dismissed and the state-court challenge rejected, Tennessee’s new congressional map remains in place as the state moves toward the August 2026 primary elections.
Separate federal litigation brought by the ACLU and NAACP remains ongoing.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “State Rep Justin Pearson” by State Rep Justin Pearson and “Rep Steve Cohen” is by Rep Steve Cohen.
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