Tennessee Republicans are seeking to eliminate the state’s only Democratic congressional seat following a Wednesday U.S. Supreme Court decision. A Louisiana congressional map redrawn in 2024 was deemed unconstitutional in the latest blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The ruling is set to weaken the political power of minority communities nationwide, including Memphis, which has a majority Black population.
Following the decision, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn — the leading Republican candidate for governor ahead of November’s midterm elections — called for a special session of the state legislature to redraw the congressional maps. She pledged to pursue the effort if elected governor.
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