Judges Approve Controversial Tennessee Map, Sparking Debate

WHO:

Fox News - A three-judge panel consisting of two Trump-appointed judges and one appointed by Barack Obama.

ABC News - Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, who has represented the majority-Black district in Memphis for about two decades.

ABC News - Amber Sherman, a Memphis voter and plaintiff in the lawsuit.

ABC News - Ari Savitzky, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project.

ABC News - Taylor Meehan, attorney representing Tennessee election officials.

WHAT:

Fox News - A redrawn Tennessee congressional map is expected to give Republicans a 9-0 advantage in congressional seats.

ABC News - The federal judicial panel allowed the new congressional map to be used in the upcoming primary elections on August 6.

ABC News - The new map splits apart a majority-Black district in Memphis.

ABC News - The lawsuit against the map was denied a preliminary injunction, allowing the map to remain in effect.

WHERE:

Fox News - Tennessee, specifically mentioning Memphis and Shelby County.

ABC News - The congressional district affected is based in Memphis, Tennessee.

WHEN:

Fox News - The new congressional map was drawn during a special session in May.

ABC News - The primary elections are scheduled for August 6.

ABC News - Early voting began on July 17.

WHY:

Fox News - The redistricting was aimed at preserving the GOP's majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

ABC News - Opponents argued that the redistricting was motivated by racial discrimination, while Republicans claimed it was driven by partisan politics.

HOW:

Fox News - The judges concluded that the evidence pointed to partisan politics as the driving force behind the redistricting.

ABC News - The map was created after a Supreme Court ruling weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections, allowing for more partisan redistricting.

(UPDATED July 24, 2026 18:24 UTC)

A three-judge panel, made up of two judges appointed by Trump and one by Obama, has allowed a newly drawn congressional map in Tennessee that is expected to give Republicans a significant advantage in upcoming elections. This map, which splits a majority-Black district in Memphis, will be used in the primary elections scheduled for August 6, following a denial of a preliminary injunction against it. The judges determined that the redistricting was primarily driven by partisan politics, a conclusion that comes after a Supreme Court ruling that weakened protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.