Lee, Ivey Call Sessions on Tennessee Alabama Redrawing House Maps
Tennessee and Alabama moved on Friday to begin tennessee alabama redrawing house maps after the Supreme Court narrowed part of the Voting Rights Act. Govs. Bill Lee and Kay Ivey called special sessions in their states, putting congressional map changes on the agenda in both places.
Lee said Tennessee lawmakers owe it to Tennesseans to ensure the districts reflect the will of Tennessee voters, and he set his special session to start Tuesday. Alabama’s session is scheduled to begin Monday, a day before Tennessee’s, as both states weigh whether to redraw lines before their next congressional elections.
Bill Lee and Tennessee maps
Tennessee’s current map includes one Democratic congressional district centered in Memphis, and the state has primaries scheduled for Aug. 6. The deadline for candidates to qualify for the primary ballot was in March, which means any redistricting push now would move through the legislature after those filing windows have closed.
Lee said the districts “owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters.” He also said changes “must be enacted as soon as possible.”
That puts pressure on lawmakers to act quickly if they want to change the map before November’s election cycle settles into place. President Trump has urged Lee to redraw Tennessee’s map to give Republicans one extra seat, and GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn has called on state lawmakers to draw a map that gives Republicans an edge in all nine of Tennessee’s congressional districts.
Kay Ivey and Alabama
Ivey called Alabama lawmakers into special session after years of court fights over the state’s congressional map. The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that Alabama’s House map violated the Voting Rights Act, and a three-judge panel rejected another map later that year before a court-appointed expert drew a fresh version.
Alabama’s existing map is required to stay in place until after the 2030 Census under a court injunction issued last year, even as Attorney General Steve Marshall asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to vacate the lower court ruling that struck down lawmakers’ 2023 map. Ivey said the state should be “prepared should the courts act quickly enough,” a line that points to a narrow window if judges move before the current rules remain locked in place.
Alabama’s primaries are set for May 19, and candidates had to file in January. The state’s two House districts where Black voters make up a significant portion of the electorate are both held by Democrats, so any redraw would go straight to the balance of power in the state’s congressional delegation.
Louisiana moved on Thursday to suspend its House primaries later this month after the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling Wednesday in Louisiana v. Callais, a decision that struck down a Louisiana map with two majority-Black House districts. Tennessee and Alabama are now among the first states to react by putting their own maps back in play.
