TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 8, 2026

Four registered voters and four candidates — including current U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and state Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, who is running to challenge Cohen — in the Districts 5, 6 and 9 races on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, suing the state over the newly drawn congressional map. WKRN reports that the plaintiffs argue the new districts violate the First and 14th Amendments by placing an undue burden on voting rights and political association, and are seeking a permanent injunction to block the maps from taking effect in the 2026 election cycle. This lawsuit is in addition to the NAACP's emergency petition filed in Davidson County Chancery Court. The Tennessee Journal also reports on the developments. The new maps are available for download on the state comptroller's website, showing a detailed street-by-street breakdown of the new districts. The Nashville Banner analyzes 2020 census data and 2024 election results to show changes in racial makeup, density, political makeup and compactness between the previous Congressional map and the new map.