Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Republican-controlled Tennessee legislature convened a three-day special session this week to redraw district maps, following last week’s landmark Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act.
At stake could be the fate of a single Democratic-held district in Memphis. Republicans are racing to enshrine changes before the August primaries, and the Republican Governor of Alabama is currently pursuing a similar strategy.
The recent Supreme Court ruling effectively neutralized Section 2 protections against racial gerrymandering, opening a new front in the redistricting wars.
Mother Jones’s @garrisonh is on the ground in Nashville covering the ensuing debates and protests. He spoke with Democratic Caucus Chairwoman @londonlamartn, a state senator representing Memphis, who called the move “downright racist.”
“This is one of the most egregious acts the legislature will ever take,” she told Hayes. “They are deliberately slicing up African-American voters in Memphis for their own political gain. I am so hurt and angry.”
Follow @garrisonh for more updates throughout the day. Stay tuned.
The Republican-controlled Tennessee legislature convened a three-day special session this week to redraw district maps, following last week’s landmark Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act.
At stake could be the fate of a single Democratic-held district in Memphis. Republicans are racing to enshrine changes before the August primaries, and the Republican Governor of Alabama is currently pursuing a similar strategy.
The recent Supreme Court ruling effectively neutralized Section 2 protections against racial gerrymandering, opening a new front in the redistricting wars.
Mother Jones’s @garrisonh is on the ground in Nashville covering the ensuing debates and protests. He spoke with Democratic Caucus Chairwoman @londonlamartn, a state senator representing Memphis, who called the move “downright racist.”
“This is one of the most egregious acts the legislature will ever take,” she told Hayes. “They are deliberately slicing up African-American voters in Memphis for their own political gain. I am so hurt and angry.”
Follow @garrisonh for more updates throughout the day. Stay tuned.
