12 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 7
In Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina, lawmakers moved to split Memphis' district, enable new Alabama primaries and prepare a new South Carolina map.
The push follows a Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana that weakened protections for Black-majority districts, raising the prospect minority voters could lose preferred representatives before November's midterms.
Tennessee could vote finally on Thursday, Alabama's bill goes to the Senate, and South Carolina leaders plan to unveil a map as a broader national fight for House control intensifies.
Will new electoral maps fundamentally change how communities are represented in the U.S. House?
What new legal challenges will states face when drawing districts under the revised court guidance?
The 2026 Redistricting Wave: Supreme Court Ruling Enables GOP to Slash Majority-Black Districts and Shift Congressional Power
Overview
On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's congressional map for violating the Voting Rights Act, triggering a rapid redistricting surge across Southern states. Republican-controlled legislatures quickly moved to redraw maps, targeting majority-Black districts by breaking up minority voting blocs and postponing primaries. This shift follows the Court's new legal standard requiring proof of discriminatory intent, making it harder to challenge maps that dilute minority political power. The ruling has sparked widespread protests, lawsuits, and grassroots mobilization, while also fueling a national gerrymandering arms race that threatens to deepen polarization, reduce electoral competition, and weaken minority representation in Congress.