Federal Panel Allows New Tennessee Congressional Map to Take Effect

A federal judicial panel has allowed a new Tennessee congressional map to take effect, according to ABC News. The map splits apart a district in Memphis that had a majority-Black population. Separately, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced in May 2026 that he would convene a special legislative session of the General Assembly to formally review the state's congressional map, citing nationwide redistricting activity as context. Lee said the review followed consultation with the Lt. Governor, House Speaker, Attorney General, and Secretary of State. The two reports describe related but distinct developments in Tennessee's redistricting process: the governor's call for legislative review preceded the federal panel's decision by roughly two months. It remains unresolved from the available reporting whether the map reviewed and potentially altered during the special legislative session is the same map later upheld by the federal judicial panel, or whether the panel's ruling addressed a legal challenge to a map that emerged from that legislative process. No specific vote counts, bill numbers, or session outcomes from the special legislative session were included in the available reporting. The current status of the congressional map is that it has been allowed to proceed following the federal panel's ruling, per ABC News. Details such as the identity of the plaintiffs who challenged the map, the specific legal grounds for the challenge, whether the panel's decision can be appealed, and the composition or reasoning of the three-judge panel were not included in the available reporting. Additionally, the outcome of Governor Lee's special legislative session, including any changes made to the map during that process, was not addressed in the ABC News report and remains unconfirmed.