Tennessee drew its new congressional map, with state Democrats filing a challenge to block its implementation. That’s likely to be the usual move as Republicans push to redraw their maps across the South following the Callais decision. The map debate caused a commotion at the state Capitol. Tennessee Democrats tried to block the map, and a federal judge put the kibosh on it (via Channel 5 Nashville):
🚨 A federal judge has declined to immediately block Tennessee's new Republican-drawn congressional map. pic.twitter.com/ecjPsszfPC
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) May 14, 2026
🚨 NOW: A federal judge has just REFUSED to block Tennessee's new 2026 redistricting map, which eliminates the last remaining Democrat seat and makes the state 9R-0D
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 14, 2026
ANOTHER WIN!
Democrats are melting down after EVERY court loss, their era of racial cheating has ended 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/I8Z2JmgDN5
A federal judge denied a request Thursday to temporarily block Tennessee’s newly approved congressional map from taking effect ahead of the 2026 elections.
Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. denied plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order and canceled a hearing that had been scheduled for May 20, according to a court order filed Thursday.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed last week by the Tennessee Democratic Party and several plaintiffs challenging the state’s newly redrawn congressional districts approved during a special legislative session. The lawsuit argues the map unlawfully dismantles a majority-Black district and creates election confusion ahead of the August primary.
Tennessee Democrats lost their committee assignments as punishment for the chaos they caused when these maps were approved. It’s another example of Democrats facing defeat in the ongoing redistricting wars.