Anger mounts after Tennessee Republicans redraw maps - US politics live
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature passed new redistricting maps that eliminate the state’s only Democratic, Black-majority congressional district, splitting Memphis into three Republican-leaning districts.
- The redistricting effectively ends representation for the Black community in Congress from Tennessee, as all nine districts are now Republican-leaning.
- Republicans claim the maps were drawn based on population and politics, but Democrats argue the changes are racially motivated and undermine civil rights gains.
- The redistricting follows the recent Supreme Court ruling in Callais v Landry, which weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act against racial gerrymandering.
- Similar redistricting efforts are underway in other Republican-led southern states, with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee expected to sign the new map into law soon.
