The NAACP has filed a federal lawsuit arguing that Tennessee’s newly redrawn congressional map rips apart Memphis’ only majority-Black district and weakens Black voting power across the city. The plaintiffs want a federal judge to block the map before this year’s primaries and to bring back the district lines that were in place at the start of the decade.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the complaint says lawmakers “cracked” Congressional District 9 into multiple districts to deny Black voters a meaningful chance to elect the candidates of their choice. In a press release, the NAACP describes the plan as having been rushed through in about 48 hours and says plaintiffs are seeking immediate injunctive relief, as detailed by the NAACP.
Republican lawmakers approved the map during a special session on May 7 that split Memphis into three congressional districts. Supporters cast the move as a hard-edged partisan strategy, while opponents labeled it discriminatory. The vote landed just days after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is applied, a decision observers say has encouraged aggressive mid-decade redraws in several GOP-led states, per The Washington Post.
The federal filing from the NAACP follows an emergency petition in state court on May 7 and comes on top of separate federal challenges brought by Democratic candidates and the ACLU. An updated version of the NAACP complaint also adds Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Elections Coordinator Mark Goins as defendants, according to Tennessee Lookout.
What the Complaint Says
The suit argues that the redistricting plan violates the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments because it intentionally discriminates on the basis of race. It also accuses lawmakers of brushing aside traditional redistricting principles such as compactness and respect for communities of interest. “Tennessee lawmakers made a deliberate choice to silence Black voters,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in the organization’s statement, with the filing framing that claim as central to proving discriminatory intent, according to the NAACP.
State Response and the Court Calendar
State attorneys have urged judges to stay out of it, arguing that the map is lawful, that some defendants may be immune, and that procedural disputes should play out in state forums instead. Meanwhile, the election clock is ticking. Plaintiffs warn that the May 15 candidate-qualifying window and a string of fast-approaching hearings make quick action essential, according to Democracy Docket.
Why It Matters
If courts accept the NAACP’s claim of intentional racial discrimination, Tennessee could be forced to revert to the earlier map. That would preserve Memphis’ ability to elect candidates of choice and could throw the 2026 contest back into play. The case also highlights the national stakes in the wake of the April 29 Supreme Court decision that reshaped how race-based claims are litigated and may influence how boldly other states redraw their lines this year, as reported by The Washington Post.
