In a decision released after early voting for primary elections already began, a panel of three federal judges on Thursday declined to block Tennessee’s newly redrawn congressional map from taking effect before the 2026 midterm elections, finding the plaintiffs unlikely to succeed in proving their claim the Tennessee General Assembly used race to set boundaries during its redistricting process.
The decision came in response to a request by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorneys representing Memphis residents and nonprofits who sued over the redistricting, claiming lawmakers illegally used race to divide the city into multiple congressional districts in a bid to dilute the impact of black voters.
Tennessee lawmakers began the redistricting process following the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Calais, which held that Louisiana unconstitutionally used race to create two majority-black congressional districts, effectively prohibiting states from relying on race to draw congressional districts, while still allowing them to be drawn to deliver a partisan advantage to a political party.
“Plaintiffs won’t succeed on their vote-dilution claim because they haven’t presented meaningful evidence that race—not politics—motivated Tennessee’s May 2026 map,” wrote the panel of federal judges in their ruling.
“Its goal was to redraw districts to favor Republicans and keep Republicans in the U.S. House majority,” the judges wrote. “As a result, the road to a reliably 9-0 map runs through Memphis. Thus, political motivations readily explain the map’s dilutive effects.”
The judges later suggested that the plaintiffs’ point was undermined by their lack of an alternative congressional map that could have achieved the objectives named by the General Assembly without dividing Memphis into three districts.
“Plaintiffs don’t offer their own, alternative map that accomplishes Tennessee’s political goals without splitting Memphis and Shelby County,” wrote the panel. They wrote in a nearby portion of the ruling, “And the problem for Plaintiffs is that they haven’t provided an alternative map — because they can’t.”
The panel included U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell and U.S. Appellate Judge John B. Nalbandian, who were both appointed by President Donald Trump, and District Court Judge Gregory Stivers, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
A spokesman for Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett (pictured above), who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, welcomed the decision in a statement to The Tennessee Star, explaining that voters impacted by the redistricting process should have already received notice informing them of the changes.
“A different ruling at this stage, with early voting already underway, would have created significant confusion and administrative challenges for both voters and election officials,” said the spokesman. Because of the favorable decision, “Voters do not need to take any additional steps beyond their normal election preparations.”
The Secretary of State’s office told The Star, “However, anyone who would like to confirm their districts, polling location, or voter information can use the free GoVoteTN app, visit GoVoteTN.gov, or contact their local election commission for assistance.”
While the redrawn map will be used during the 2026 midterms, the litigation will nonetheless also advance, as the panel stopped short of granting the defendants’ request to dismiss the case.
Republican primary voters in the redrawn 9th Congressional District will choose between State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), Charlotte Bergmann, Jeremy Thompson, and State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill). On the Democratic ballot, voters will see Jim Torino, State Representative Justin Jones (D-Memphis), State Senator London Lamar (D-Memphis), and M. LaTroy A-Williams.
Early voting began on July 17, and will continue through August 1. The primary election will occur on August 6.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett” by Tre Hargett.
