Southern States Redraw Congressional Maps After Supreme Court Ruling on Voting Rights Act

Tennessee enacted legislation on May 9, 2026, that splits much of Memphis among three separate congressional districts after Republicans introduced a new congressional map on May 7, 2026, that slices up Memphis and its suburbs. The new map aims to give the GOP all nine of the state's congressional districts. S.

House map that carves up a majority-Black district in Memphis. The Ninth Congressional District of Tennessee had existed for more than four decades as a majority-Black district centered on Memphis. For nearly 20 years, Memphis has voted to send Rep.

Steve Cohen, a white progressive, to Congress. S. Supreme Court issuing a 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais last week that weakened enforcement of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act regarding majority-minority districts.

The Supreme Court ruling was written by Justice Samuel Alito and joined by the Court’s five other conservative members. Florida Republicans voted on a newly gerrymandered congressional map that presumed the Supreme Court would weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Voters in Florida approved a 2010 constitutional amendment outlawing partisan gerrymandering.

U.S. House races after more than 42,000 voters had already cast ballots. More than 42,000 voters had already cast ballots in Louisiana’s May 16, 2026 primaries when the election was suspended.

Lafayette Parish, Louisiana has 160,000 voters. Election officials reported confusion among voters after the partial suspension, which left the Senate primary in place while halting only the House races.

Alabama Republicans held votes during a tornado watch while a storm flooded the state capitol to pass bills setting new primary elections if federal courts allow redistricting. Alabama remains under a federal court order not to redraw its congressional districts until the 2030 Census.

Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values, stated: "This feels like the echoes of the ‘southern strategy’ of the ’60s.

South Carolina legislators took an initial step toward redistricting the district of Representative James Clyburn. " Virginia’s highest court struck down a statewide referendum designed by Democrats to give them as many as four additional House seats. Virginia Supreme Court voided an extreme partisan gerrymander of Virginia's congressional districts on May 8 or 9, 2026.

U.S. Supreme Court on May 9, 2026 to overturn the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling striking down the redistricting referendum. S.

Supreme Court contained spelling mistakes including 'Virgna' for Virginia and 'Sentator' for Senator. Omar Noureldin, who leads the litigation team at Common Cause, stated that other states are using the Callais decision "as pretext to do what they wanted to do anyway" and that he is "not optimistic" about legal challenges.