Federal Judges Allow Tennessee Congressional Map Splitting Majority-Black Memphis District

A three-judge federal panel in Tennessee has declined to block the state's new congressional map, which divides the majority-Black 9th District in Memphis. The ruling, issued on Thursday, rejected a request for a preliminary injunction that would have halted the map ahead of Tennessee's August primary elections. The plaintiffs had argued that the map dilutes Black voting power in violation of the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution. The panel's decision allows the map to remain in effect for the upcoming primaries, though the underlying legal challenge continues. The case is part of a broader national debate over redistricting and racial gerrymandering following the 2020 census.