Story perspectives

Tennessee GOP Redraws Memphis District, Sparks Black Voter Lawsuit

5/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

Tennessee Republican legislators approved a map that dismantles the Memphis-based majority-Black 9th District, sparking a racial-discrimination lawsuit.
The NAACP calls the map an effort to erase Black political power and a new Jim Crow era.
Rep. Bennie Thompson warned that the Supreme Court’s weakened Voting Rights Act lets GOP redistricting dilute Black votes, a trend also seen in Florida, Alabama and other Southern states after the Louisiana v. Callais ruling.

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Story summary

Tennessee Republican legislators approved a map that dismantles the Memphis-based majority-Black 9th District, sparking a racial-discrimination lawsuit.
The NAACP calls the map an effort to erase Black political power and a new Jim Crow era.
Rep. Bennie Thompson warned that the Supreme Court’s weakened Voting Rights Act lets GOP redistricting dilute Black votes, a trend also seen in Florida, Alabama and other Southern states after the Louisiana v. Callais ruling.