Tennessee Disbands Its Final Predominantly Black District
Republicans in Tennessee have dismantled the state’s last Black majority congressional district, redistributing Memphis into three GOP-favored seats.
Summary
- The Republican-dominated legislature in Tennessee adopted a new congressional map that divides Memphis, a city with a majority Black population, into three distinct districts.
- This decision was made just a week after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act’s protections against racial gerrymandering in a significant ruling on redistricting.
- The revised map is expected to enable Republicans to secure all nine of Tennessee’s US House districts, effectively ousting the state’s sole Democratic congressman, Steve Cohen.
Republicans in Tennessee have dismantled the state’s last Black majority congressional district, redistributing Memphis into three GOP-favored seats.
The Republican-controlled legislature approved the new map on May 7, with Governor Bill Lee promptly signing it into law, making Tennessee the first state to implement a new congressional map following last week’s Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act’s racial gerrymandering protections.
The newly drawn map dissects the Memphis-centric 9th Congressional District, which has been represented by Democrat Steve Cohen since 2007, redistributing its electorate into three districts that extend hundreds of miles into predominantly Republican areas. Nashville, another stronghold for Democrats in the state, is also divided into five districts as part of the plan.
Reactions from Democrats
Democratic legislators demonstrated openly in the chamber, with Senator London Lamar stating before the Senate passed the map: “Black bodies lay in rivers and in fields all across this country because they dared to speak out for representation and the right to vote.”
In a symbolic protest, State Representative Justin Jones presented a printed Confederate flag to Republican Majority Leader William Lamberth during the session.
Senator John Stevens, a Republican backer of the map, justified it by asserting that Tennessee is a conservative state and its congressional representation should mirror that. In response, Democrats challenged the narrative, pointing out that the census data Republicans cited does not encompass partisan information.
Wider Redistricting Movement
Tennessee marks the ninth state to adopt a new congressional map ahead of the midterms in November, part of an unusually proactive mid-decade redistricting effort initiated after President Trump urged Republican-led states to redraw their maps to safeguard his party’s narrow House majority. Louisiana and Alabama are also preparing to follow in light of the SCOTUS decision.
This campaign could allow Republicans to gain as many as 14 seats nationwide, although several maps are currently involved in legal disputes. As previously reported by crypto.news, the midterms in 2026 will be closely monitored by the cryptocurrency sector as a significant barometer for the survival of digital asset policies in Washington amidst political changes.