State troopers prompt protesters to exit the House gallery amid their demonstration against endeavors by the state’s Republican governing body in reconfiguring congressional electoral boundaries on the concluding day of a special legislative session in Nashville, Tennessee, May 7, 2026. Seth Herald/Reuters
While demonstrators accused them of gerrymandering based on race, Tennessee state legislators approved a new congressional layout on Thursday, potentially enabling Republicans to capture the state’s sole Democratic-held seat, securing an additional triumph for the GOP in the mid-decade redistricting movement.
Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee formally enacted the legislation into law Thursday afternoon.
The session was disrupted by tumultuous occurrences, with lawmakers vociferously objecting to protesters’ voices and at one juncture requiring law enforcement to clear the gallery above the House chamber prior to the vote on the revised map.
State troopers ask demonstrators to leave the House gallery as they protest efforts by the state’s Republican leadership in redistricting congressional election maps on the last day of a special session in Nashville, Tennessee, May 7, 2026.Seth Herald/Reuters
The fresh arrangement dissects the state’s existing 9th Congressional District, mainly composed of Memphis, and the state’s single district with a Black majority. Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen presently represents the district.
The assembly also passed measures on Thursday that will sanction the state to lawfully redistrict outside of the customary once-per-decade timeframe, alongside allocating funds to facilitate the deployment of the updated map in anticipation of the 2026 elections.
Consequence on the midterms and representation within Congress
Given the approval of the map, it sets the stage for President Donald Trump and Republicans to secure an extra House seat in the approaching Congress, improving their prospects of sustaining control of the House as they proceed with their redistricting efforts throughout the nation.
Tennessee Democrats will probably lack any presence in Congress in the coming year should Republicans acquire the seat, and the map will weaken the Black vote through the dismantling of Memphis.
However, legal disputes opposing the map are anticipated.
Cohen stated on Thursday that he intends to initiate legal proceedings against the new map.
Following the vote, Cohen posted on X stating, "[President Donald] Trump understands that he MUST manipulate the system to preserve his majority in November. And the TN GOP was amenable to participating. It’s disgraceful. The next action will be in the courts."
Earlier in the week, Cohen communicated on CNN that the Republicans’ redistricting undertaking was predetermined, adding his hope that the updated congressional map might go into effect in 2028 rather than 2026.
Democratic state representative Justin J. Pearson and his brother KeShaun Pearson are removed from the gallery after taking part in a silent sit-in protesting efforts by the state’s Republican leadership in redistricting congressional election maps on the last day of a special session in Nashville, Tennessee, May 7, 2026.Seth Herald/Reuters
The swiftness of the unfolding process was noteworthy — just last week, the Supreme Court invalidated Louisiana’s congressional map as an unconstitutional instance of racial gerrymandering, thus delivering a setback to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Furthermore, merely a day following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, Trump conveyed on Truth Social that he engaged with Lee, and that the governor articulated his commitment to redrawing the state’s congressional maps to gain an additional GOP seat for Tennessee in the House. Lee then initiated a special assembly on the subsequent day, April 30, to scrutinize the state’s congressional blueprint.
Prospective redistricting actions are also presently being pursued in Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina, although each state encounters differing procedural or judicial hurdles to resolve.
With Tennessee’s revised arrangement, Republicans hold the potential to secure 14 Democratic-held seats spanning Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Florida. Democrats could possibly acquire 10 seats through new maps sanctioned in California, Utah, and Virginia.
Heated exchange and demonstrations within the state capitol
The proposed congressional configuration encountered considerable contentious discussion and protest within the legislature on Thursday before its passing.
Within the House chamber, Democratic representatives rebuked the map, stating it would undermine the Black vote within the state. At one point, chants of "our house!" commenced in the House gallery.
As the vote approached for the new arrangement on the House floor, pandemonium arose in the chamber. A trooper was directed to evacuate the gallery atop the House floor amidst public outcry.
Earlier, Democratic State Rep. Justin Pearson, who is campaigning for Congress in the 9th District destined for fragmentation under the revised configuration, declared that “the ongoing events here are immoral and unjust.”
Demonstrators gather in the House gallery protesting efforts by the state’s Republican leadership in redistricting congressional election maps on the last day of a special session in Nashville, Tennessee, May 7, 2026.Seth Herald/Reuters
“This embodies an assault, specifically targeting and fracturing District 9 into pieces for heightened political and racial ascendancy, as well as white supremacy within the state of Tennessee. We must recognize that the Callais verdict, which you are all utilizing as the basis of your conclusions, effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act, an Act that was secured through profound sacrifice,” Pearson conveyed.
Later, Pearson engaged with law enforcement officials, ABC affiliate WKRN reported, while they were in the process of clearing protestors from the House gallery. Pearson reported subsequently that his brother, KeShaun Pearson, was taken into custody.
Following the House passage of the measure, it was taken up in the Senate where Republican state Sen. John Stevens vocalized his endorsement of the revised blueprint amidst discernible protests and shouts.
“Tennessee is a state with conservative inclinations, and I posit that its congressional representatives should mirror that. The proposed arrangement ensures such an outcome,” Stevens asserted.
He later declared, “This legislative action embodies Tennessee’s endeavor to optimize our partisan advantage, enabling Tennesseans to endorse a national Congress with a Republican majority.”
However, Democratic state Sen. London Lamar, who is Black, denounced the new blueprint during the discourse as an affront to Black voters, asserting that it “degrades Memphis.”
“This map doesn’t portray Memphis authentically. It weakens Memphis. It cleaves our city into segments and extends our communities countless miles to territories with disparate requirements, varied economies, divergent histories, and dissimilar realities,” she articulated. “You cannot take a city primarily populated by Black individuals, divide its voting strength, and subsequently claim that race is irrelevant. Racism does not diminish simply because it is characterized as partisan.”
Shortly thereafter, chants of “Hands off Memphis!” resounded, and another lawmaker promptly unfurled a banner that proclaimed “NO JIM CROW 2.0 – STOP THE TN STEAL.”
The Senate gave its assent to the map shortly thereafter.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com