Federal court backs Tennessee map removing Black district

A federal court has allowed Tennessee to implement a new congressional map that eliminates the state's only majority-Black district, clearing the way for its use in the upcoming midterm elections. A three-judge panel in the Middle District of Tennessee on Thursday denied a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by Black Memphis voters and civil rights groups, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to prove the redistricting was racially motivated.

The court found that political motivations readily explained the map's effects, which split the city of Memphis and its Black population among three separate congressional districts. The panel noted that Memphis voters predominantly favor Democratic candidates, while rural voters lean Republican, and stated that splitting the city was a logical step for a legislature attempting to create a map favoring Republican candidates. With this ruling, Tennessee may proceed with using the new map for next month's primaries and the general election in November.

The legal challenge was filed shortly after Tennessee's Republican-majority legislature passed the new map in May. The plaintiffs, including three Black Memphis voters, the Black Clergy...