Federal courts handed Republicans both a victory and a setback Tuesday in the escalating national battle over congressional redistricting.
Meanwhile, in Alabama, a separate federal panel blocked a Republican-drawn map the state hoped would create an additional GOP pickup opportunity.
The rulings mark the latest developments in a rapidly intensifying redistricting war that erupted after the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v
Callais, which significantly narrowed the use of race based districting under the Voting Rights Act
Advertisement Republicans across multiple Southern states have since moved aggressively to redraw congressional boundaries, arguing the Supreme Court made clear that states cannot rely on racial considerations to maintain majority-minority districts.
In Tennessee, U. S. Chief District Judge William L.
denied a request from Black Memphis voters and organizations represented by the ACLU and ACLU of Tennessee to halt implementation of the state’s newly enacted congressional map
Steve Cohen and creates a projected 9 0 Republican congressional delegation
The map, passed by Tennessee Republicans during a special legislative session, dismantles the Memphis-area district represented by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen and creates a projected 9-0 Republican congressional delegation.
Plaintiffs argued the map was racially discriminatory and accused Republicans of targeting Black voters by dismantling the majority Black district
They also warned that upcoming candidate filing deadlines and election preparations would make it increasingly difficult to reverse the map later.
Relief is needed now before the maps are locked in and Black voters are irrevocably forced to use an illegal, discriminatory map,” plaintiffs argued in court filings
But Campbell said the challengers failed to demonstrate a strong likelihood of success at this stage of the litigation
“While Plaintiffs may ultimately show discrimination was a motivating factor,” the judge wrote, “the Court cannot say that their likelihood of success on this claim is substantial. ”
The judge also rejected arguments that the redistricting amounted to unconstitutional retaliation against Black voters
Campbell warned the court was “unwilling to reach” a conclusion suggesting that partisan political actions directed at opposing voters automatically constitute First Amendment retaliation, saying such a ruling could have sweeping consequences far beyond the Tennessee case
The ruling represents a major victory for Tennessee Republicans and supporters of the new map, who argue the changes reflect the Supreme Court’s instruction that redistricting should be race-neutral rather than driven by racial quotas or federally mandated minority districts.
Republicans nationally have increasingly argued that race based districting unfairly entrenches Democratic power by concentrating voters into protected districts
At the same time, Republicans suffered a setback in neighboring Alabama
A three-judge federal panel ruled Tuesday that Alabama Republicans cannot use a newly proposed congressional map that would have created another potential Republican pickup opportunity in the state.
Instead, Alabama must continue using a court ordered map that added a second majority Black district and helped elect Democratic Rep
The panel included two judges appointed by President Donald Trump and one appointed by former President Bill Clinton
The panel ruled that the Supreme Court’s recent Voting Rights Act decision did not change its earlier conclusion that Alabama’s proposed map intentionally discriminated against Black voters in violation of the Constitution.
“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the ruling stated.
The panel included two judges appointed by President Donald Trump and one appointed by former President Bill Clinton
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall quickly vowed to appeal directly to the Supreme Court, calling the Republican-backed map “blandly unobjectionable. ”
Meanwhile, South Carolina Republicans recently backed away from an effort to dismantle longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn’s majority-Black district after resistance emerged within the state legislature.
