A federal judge just handed Tennessee Republicans a major win in the fight over the state’s new congressional map.
Chief Judge William Campbell denied a temporary restraining order Tuesday that would have blocked the new map from taking effect.
The ruling is a blow to the ACLU and a coalition of left-wing groups that sued to stop the redistricting plan, which splits Shelby County and Memphis into three congressional districts.
The practical effect is simple: Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen’s safe Memphis seat is gone.
The federal memorandum and order laid out the procedural fight and why the emergency request failed:
Tennessee enacted the 2026 congressional map on May 7, 2026, with legislation that redraws most of the state’s nine congressional districts and divides Shelby County and the city of Memphis into three districts. Plaintiffs filed suit four days later, claiming the map was racially discriminatory and retaliatory against political speech and association.
The plaintiffs asked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, but Judge Campbell made clear he was deciding only the emergency temporary restraining order. The broader preliminary-injunction fight will be heard by a three-judge panel.
On the racial-discrimination claim, the court noted that plaintiffs may ultimately be able to prove discriminatory purpose, but at this stage the court could not say their likelihood of success was substantial. The order also emphasized the presumption that legislatures act in good faith and noted that the Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais recognized a state’s ability to pursue political goals in redistricting.
On the First Amendment retaliation claim, the court was not persuaded that plaintiffs had shown a substantial likelihood of success. The order warned that treating politically motivated action against an opposing political party as First Amendment retaliation could have ramifications far beyond this case.
That distinction matters.
Tennessee Republicans have made no secret that this map serves political objectives, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly drawn a line between partisan redistricting and illegal racial discrimination.
The Gateway Pundit framed the ruling as another setback for Democrats trying to preserve Cohen’s old district:
A federal judge appointed by President Trump rejected the request to block Tennessee’s new congressional map, which eliminates Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen’s Memphis district. Tennessee Republicans passed the new map earlier this month after the Supreme Court’s major ruling on race-based districting.
Cohen represented Tennessee’s majority-Black 9th Congressional District, centered in Memphis, since 2007. After the new map erased that district, Cohen ended his reelection bid, marking the abrupt close of a long Democratic career in one of the safest blue seats in the South.
The lawsuit came from the ACLU and ACLU of Tennessee on behalf of Black voters and Memphis-based organizations. Their emergency bid asked the court to temporarily halt use of the new lines while the broader legal challenge moved forward.
ADVERTISEMENTThe ruling leaves the new map in place for now and gives Tennessee Republicans breathing room as the election calendar moves ahead. Democrats are expected to keep fighting, but the first emergency swing missed.
Judge Campbell also recognized that disenfranchisement would be irreparable harm if it occurred.
But he gave strong weight to the risk of voter confusion if courts keep changing the rules close to an election.
That is the Purcell principle in action: federal courts are supposed to be very careful before they scramble election rules at the last minute.
President Trump publicly pressed Tennessee to move quickly on redistricting after the Callais decision opened the door.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 30, 2026
The Tennessee Conservative News background piece showed how quickly the Tennessee fight took shape after the Supreme Court ruling:
After Louisiana v. Callais, President Trump urged Tennessee leaders to correct what he described as an unconstitutional flaw in the state’s congressional maps. The article connected that push to the possibility of eliminating Tennessee’s sole Democrat-held congressional district and giving the state a delegation that better reflects its Republican lean.
The same report described Republican reaction to Callais as a victory against race-based redistricting policies. It noted that Tennessee officials, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn and several Republican lawmakers, quickly began calling for action in Nashville.
The piece also captured the political stakes inside Tennessee. Democrats and left-wing activists called the redistricting push an attack on Black political power, while Republicans argued that the Supreme Court had opened the way for states to draw lines without being forced into race-based districting.
ADVERTISEMENTThat context explains why Tuesday’s order matters. Tennessee moved fast, the left sued fast, and the first emergency demand to freeze the map did not get through.
The case, Sherman v. Hargett, names Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins, and the State Election Commission as defendants.
The American Redistricting Project case page confirms the litigation is consolidated with Hale v. Lee and tracks the May 26 memorandum and order:
The case is listed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee as No. 3:26-cv-00616. The case page identifies Sherman v. Hargett as consolidated with Hale v. Lee, meaning the challenges are now moving through a combined procedural track.
The filing history includes the verified complaint, the motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, orders consolidating the case-management path, notice of the request for a three-judge court, and the May 26 memorandum and order.
That procedural posture is important because this is not the final word on every claim. It is the first emergency ruling, and it leaves the map standing while the three-judge panel handles the next phase.
In plain English, the left lost the immediate stop-the-map demand, but the larger lawsuit remains alive. That makes Tuesday’s ruling an early court win for Tennessee Republicans, not the end of the entire redistricting war.
For now, though, Democrats did not get the freeze they wanted.
The new map stands, Cohen’s old district is gone, and Tennessee Republicans just won the first major round in court.
