TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 26, 2026

A federal judge on Tuesday declined to temporarily block Tennessee's newly redrawn congressional map, ruling that plaintiffs — several Black Memphis voters and organizations represented by the ACLU — had not demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success in their claims that the map was racially discriminatory. The new map, passed during a special legislative session, eliminates the state's only majority-Black congressional district and would likely result in a 9-0 Republican House delegation. Plaintiffs argued the redraw was both racially motivated and poorly timed, coming amid active candidate filing deadlines ahead of an August primary. The judge acknowledged discrimination could have been a factor but stopped short of finding the legal bar met for emergency relief. The Hill reports that an appeal is expected. The same judge rejected an earlier temporary restraining order request from a group of Memphis congressional candidates.