Tennessee approves new congressional map in latest redistricting flurry

"Tennessee's Republican-dominated state legislature and governor have approved a new congressional map ahead of the US midterms, carving up the state's only Black majority district. The approval on Thursday culminated the latest push in states across the country to redistrict ahead of the US midterms in November, which will determine which party controls the US House of Representatives and Senate."

"The spree began with US President Donald Trump calling on the Republican-controlled legislature in Texas to redraw its map to create five more Republican-favoured US House Districts. Republican and Democratic-controlled legislatures in Missouri, California, Utah, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas have since followed suit."

"The campaign was kicked into overdrive when the US Supreme Court ruled last week that a provision of the landmark 1973 Voting Rights Act, which prevented diluting the voting power of minorities, was unconstitutional. Under the ruling, challengers must now prove that a map had been drawn to intentionally disenfranchise minority voters, a bar that voting rights groups charge is nearly impossible to clear."

"Opposing legislators said the new map was intentionally drawn to ensure Black voting power was diluted throughout Tennessee's nine congressional districts. These maps are racist tools of white supremacy at the behest of the most powerful white supremacist in the United States of America, Donald J T"

Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature and governor approved a new congressional map ahead of the November midterms, dividing the state’s only Black majority district centered on Memphis. The change follows a broader mid-decade redistricting push in multiple states to create districts favoring the party in power. Redistricting usually occurs after the decennial census, but several legislatures have sought earlier redraws. The pace accelerated after the US Supreme Court ruled that a Voting Rights Act provision preventing minority vote dilution was unconstitutional. Challengers now must show intentional disenfranchisement, which voting rights groups say is extremely difficult. Opponents argue the Tennessee map dilutes Black voting power across nine districts.

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