Tennessee Republicans pass new map erasing majority-Black US House district
The plan splits Memphis and Shelby County into three districts and could give Republicans all nine U.S. House seats, lawmakers said.
- On Thursday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a new congressional map into law after legislators approved the plan, carving up Memphis's majority-Black 9th Congressional District into three Republican-controlled districts.
- Republican legislators initiated the special session after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened the 1965 Civil Rights Act, removing requirements to use race-based data protecting minority representation.
- State Sen. Raumesh Akbari and other Democrats denounced the move, calling it a 'modern-day revival of Jim Crow.' The plan costs taxpayers $3.1 million to weaken Democratic representation.
- Lawmakers approved the redistricting plan in a 25-5 vote amid protests at the Tennessee Capitol, subsequently reopening candidate qualifying until May 15 for U.S. House primaries.
- Similar redistricting efforts by Republicans in Alabama and South Carolina aim to maximize partisan control ahead of November midterm elections, aligning with President Donald Trump's strategy to maintain a slim U.S. House majority.
200 Articles
200 Articles
In a sea of Republican red, there was still one blue dot in Tennessee. Now that last Democratic representative also threatens to disappear:...
Tennessee House passes new congressional map eliminating Democrats’ only district
Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a congressional redistricting map on Thursday that splits Memphis along new lines and wipes out the Democratic advantage in the state’s 9th Congressional District, the party’s last remaining foothold in the state’s delegation. The vote triggered a furious reaction on the chamber floor, with Democratic lawmakers walking out and...
Tennessee Republicans Carve Up Memphis, Set To Dilute State's Black Voting Power With New Map
After the Supreme Court’s decision to severely weaken the Voting Rights Act and its protections of majority-Black congressional districts, several Southern states are rushing to redraw their congressional maps. In Tennessee, the state’s Republican leaders are now pushing a new map that would carve up Memphis and Shelby County, diluting much of the state’s Black voting power. Tennessee redistricting plan moving quickly As The New York Times repor…
She did everything she could to prevent the breakup of a majority-Black congressional district
As the Tennessee legislature held a special session this week to redraw its congressional map to break up a majority-Black district in Memphis, state Sen. Charlane Oliver did everything she could to broadcast that what was happening was not normal. The longtime voting rights advocate disrupted proceedings. She forced votes on routine matters. She told her colleagues about her great-great-uncle Elijah Bryant, who fought for the Union in the U.S.…
On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that changed the rules of the election game for millions of color voters. In a six-to-three decision, the court weakened article 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the clause that for 60 years forced states to draw electoral maps that guaranteed racial minority representation. Tennessee was the first state to respond: on May 7, it approved a new map that divides the state's only black majority distric…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 36% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
