The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its Tennessee chapter filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of voters and Memphis-based organizations on Monday challenging Tennessee’s newly enacted congressional redistricting plan, alleging that Republican lawmakers intentionally dismantled the state’s only “black-majority” congressional district in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the lawsuit accuses the “all-white supermajority” in the Tennessee General Assembly of unlawfully “cracking” Memphis into three separate congressional districts in order to “dilute” the black “voting power” and eliminate black voters’ ability to elect a candidate of their choice to Congress.
The 59-page complaint argues that the new congressional map, approved during last week’s special legislative session that lasted three days, targeted the “voting strength of black Memphians.”
Plaintiffs claim the new map violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by intentionally discriminating against black voters on the basis of race. The complaint also alleges violations of the 15th Amendment, which prohibits states from denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race.
“The white supermajority’s actions intentionally dilute and destroy the voting and political power of black voters in the Memphis area including plaintiffs and their members such that they can no longer elect a candidate of their choice to represent Memphis in Congress,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit added that Tennessee’s black voters “are almost never able to elect the candidates they support except in districts where they comprise a working majority.”
Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges the map violates the First Amendment by retaliating against black Memphis voters for their “political speech,” “association,” and “organizing” power.
The complaint argues that the General Assembly redrew the map not for legitimate redistricting purposes, but to “punish” black voters in Memphis and Shelby County for building political power and “for their opposition to the white-dominated faction that controls all the levers of political power in Tennessee.”
The filing seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, asking a three-judge federal panel to block Tennessee from using the new congressional map during the 2026 election cycle.
Monday’s lawsuit marks at least the third major legal challenge filed against Tennessee’s redistricting effort since Governor Bill Lee signed the legislation into law last week.
A separate federal lawsuit filed Thursday by the Tennessee Democratic Party alongside U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) seeks to block both the new congressional map and accompanying election law changes from taking effect during the 2026 election cycle.
That lawsuit argues the state altered candidate qualifying deadlines and election procedures “in the middle of the game,” potentially causing voter confusion and jeopardizing compliance with federal absentee ballot deadlines for military and overseas voters.
Another challenge was filed in Tennessee state court by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on behalf of Tennessee NAACP President Gloria Sweet-Love.
Unlike the federal lawsuits, the NAACP’s complaint argues the redistricting effort itself violates Tennessee law and the Tennessee Constitution because lawmakers allegedly exceeded the scope of the governor’s special session proclamation.
On Monday, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti moved to halt progress in the NAACP case, arguing the lawsuit cannot proceed until the Tennessee Supreme Court determines whether a mandatory three-judge panel will oversee the litigation under recently enacted state laws governing constitutional challenges to redistricting.
Skrmetti’s filing also argues the plaintiffs may lack standing to sue and contends there is no immediate urgency requiring court intervention before Tennessee’s August 6 primary election.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X.
Photo “Protest” by The Equity Alliance.
