May 7, 2026 · legislative
Tennessee Legislature passes map splitting Memphis into three GOP districts; NAACP calls it industrial-scale voter dilution
The Tennessee Legislature passes a new congressional map on May 7, 2026, splitting Memphis and its majority-Black population among three Republican-leaning congressional districts, eliminating Rep. Steve Cohen's 9th Congressional District. The bill, HB7001, also repeals a 2010 state law that banned mid-decade redistricting. Speaker Cameron Sexton argues the Callais ruling means "redistricting should be color-blind." Dozens of protesters interrupt Senate and House committee hearings, chanting "Hands off our vote" and singing "We Shall Overcome," with state troopers removing demonstrators on multiple occasions. Brennan Center vice president Kareem Crayton testifies that splitting Memphis across three districts means "no single representative would have an incentive to show attention to the issues and concerns of people who live there." The NAACP calls the map "Black vote dilution at an industrial scale."
May 7, 2026 · court_ruling
Federal judge issues TRO halting Tennessee redistricting map
A federal judge in the Western District of Tennessee issued a temporary restraining order on May 7, 2026 — the same day Gov. Lee signed HB 7003 — halting the new congressional map pending a full hearing. Rep. Steve Cohen, State Rep. Justin Pearson, and NAACP Tennessee President Gloria Sweet-Love filed as co-plaintiffs, arguing the map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by cracking Memphis's Black community across three districts where Black voters form a minority in each. The NAACP also filed a separate state court petition arguing the session exceeded the governor's proclamation.
May 7, 2026 · legislation
Tennessee Special Session: Lee signs map cracking Memphis into three GOP districts
Gov. Bill Lee signed HB 7002 and HB 7003 on May 7, 2026, redrawing Tennessee's nine congressional districts eight days after the Supreme Court's Callais ruling. The Tennessee House passed the bills 64-25 and the Senate passed them 25-5 in a one-day session called at President Trump's request. The new map splits Memphis — represented since 2007 by Rep. Steve Cohen — across three Republican-favoring districts and eliminates Tennessee's only Black-majority congressional seat. Speaker Cameron Sexton and Sen. Marsha Blackburn had both publicly urged the redistricting as a federal partisan priority.
May 2, 2026 · executive
Lee calls special session to redraw Tennessee congressional map
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee calls a special legislative session to redistrict Tennessee's 9th Congressional District, a majority-Black Memphis-based seat held by Democrat Steve Cohen.
The coordination occurs with President Trump. Lee states: \"He would work hard to correct the unconstitutional flaw in the Congressional Maps of the Great State of Tennessee.\"
May 1, 2026 · political
Tennessee Gov. Lee calls special session to break up Rep. Steve Cohen majority-Black Memphis district
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announces a special legislative session on May 1, 2026, beginning May 6, following a phone call with President Trump and the Callais ruling. The session targets the state's 9th Congressional District, a majority-Black seat based in Memphis held by 10-term Democrat Steve Cohen — Tennessee's only remaining Democratic House member. Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers. The proposed map would split Memphis and its majority-Black population across three separate Republican-leaning districts. The redistricting legislation also repeals a 2010 state law prohibiting mid-decade redistricting. Candidate filing for Tennessee's August primary closed in March, meaning any new map would require new candidate filing periods.
