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Republican governors in Alabama and Tennessee have called special legislative sessions to redraw congressional maps, escalating a nationwide redistricting fight after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey summoned lawmakers back to Montgomery beginning Monday to consider new maps and contingency plans for special primary elections. Republican leaders said the effort could help the state send an all-GOP congressional delegation to Washington. Alabama currently has a seven-member House delegation with two Democrats.
“As I continue saying, Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best,” Ivey said.
Tennessee targets Democratic-held seat
In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee announced a special session starting Tuesday aimed at redrawing the state’s 9th Congressional District, a Democratic-held seat centered on Memphis, a majority-Black city.
Republican officials have long sought to break up the district and distribute its voters into surrounding GOP-leaning areas — a move previously constrained by the Voting Rights Act.
“We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters,” Lee said.
Supreme Court ruling triggers ripple effects
The flurry of activity follows a Supreme Court decision striking down a Louisiana congressional map that created a second majority-Black district, ruling that it relied too heavily on race.
The decision has opened the door for Republican-led states, particularly in the South, to revisit district lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections — or potentially in time for 2028.
President Donald Trump has encouraged the effort, saying Republicans could gain as many as 20 House seats through redistricting.
“We should demand that State Legislatures do what the Supreme Court says must be done,” Trump wrote on social media.
Redistricting battle spreads
Other states have already begun to act. Louisiana postponed its May 16 primary to redraw its congressional map, a move now being challenged in court. Florida approved new districts the same day the Supreme Court issued its ruling, and South Carolina officials have indicated they may revisit their maps.
The ruling has intensified an already active redistricting battle, with both parties seeking to maximize their advantage ahead of upcoming elections.
Democrats warn of rollback
Democrats and civil rights advocates have sharply criticized the moves, warning they could dilute minority voting power.
Sen. Raphael Warnock likened the developments to past discriminatory practices, speaking Sunday from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.
“That isn’t a new method. That’s an old method. That’s a Jim Crow method,” Warnock said.
Tennessee state Sen. Ramesh Akbari also criticized the effort, saying, “We cannot keep doing things like this and calling ourselves a democracy.”
In Alabama, former Sen. Doug Jones called the special session a “blatant power grab.”
Legal and logistical hurdles
The push to redraw maps so close to upcoming elections faces potential legal challenges. In Tennessee, the primary is scheduled for Aug. 6, and candidate filing has already closed. Democrats argue courts may block late-stage changes, as happened in previous election cycles.
Alabama is also seeking relief from earlier court orders requiring it to use a map with a second majority-Black district through the 2030 Census.
The rapid response from Republican-led states underscores the far-reaching impact of the Supreme Court’s decision, which has reshaped the legal landscape for redistricting.
With lawsuits already underway and more states considering changes, the battle over congressional maps is likely to intensify — with potential consequences for minority representation and control of the House in the years ahead.
