NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT / WSMV) – Tennessee Republicans have released their proposed new congressional map amid a highly contested special session to redraw districts in the Volunteer State.
Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson filed bills this week to redraw the state’s districts, saying the changes will “ensure the state’s representation in Washington reflects its conservative values.”
The proposed map, according to Republicans, modernizes the state’s redistricting process by removing “racial data from the mapmaking process entirely.”
Current map:
“It is a direct response to a renewed national conversation on redistricting. The Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and Louisiana v. Callais decisions by the Supreme Court have clarified the legal landscape for redistricting. Those decisions confirm the state can put its lawful, conservative policy goals at the forefront,” Republicans said on Wednesday morning.
State divided along party lines
“The Supreme Court has opined that redistricting, like the judicial system, should be color-blind. The decision indicated states like Tennessee can redistrict based on partisan politics,” Sexton said. “Tennessee’s redistricting will reduce the risk of future legal challenges while promoting sound and strategic conservatism.”
State Democrats, however, believe that this special session and the redrawing of the congressional map is meant to “target and potentially dismantle the state’s only Black-majority district centered in Memphis.”
Background on SCOTUS ruling:
The Associated Press reports that this ruling found that the Louisiana district at the center of the case, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas.
Fields’ win in 2024 marked the first time in a decade that Democrats held two congressional seats in the state.
“That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the six conservatives.
