Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) announced plans to pursue legal action after Tennessee lawmakers approved a new congressional map that breaks up his majority-Black district, a move he says is designed to flip his seat to Republicans ahead of November elections.
Cohen, the only Democrat among Tennessee's nine-member House delegation, told reporters Thursday that the redistricting effort was politically motivated and constitutionally suspect. According to reporting by The Hill, Cohen described the new map as 'shameful' and indicated the matter would be heading to the courts.
'Next stop is the courts,' Cohen said, according to The Hill.
The congressman criticized Republican lawmakers for acting on what he characterized as pressure from President Donald Trump to redraw district lines in a way that would disadvantage Democratic incumbents. The new map carves up Cohen's district, which has long held a majority-Black population, redistributing those voters across multiple districts.
Redistricting as a political tool
Redistricting battles have become increasingly common in recent years, with both parties accused at various times of manipulating district boundaries to favor their candidates - a practice critics call gerrymandering. Federal courts have struck down certain redistricting maps in the past when they were found to dilute the voting power of minority communities, a potential violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Cohen's district, centered in Memphis, has been a consistent Democratic stronghold in an otherwise deeply conservative state. A successful legal challenge would likely hinge on whether plaintiffs can demonstrate that the redrawing intentionally diminished Black voters' electoral influence.
Legal path forward
Cohen did not provide specific details about when or where a lawsuit would be filed, according to The Hill's reporting. Legal challenges to redistricting maps can take months or years to resolve, meaning the November elections could proceed under the new boundaries while court proceedings are ongoing.
Tennessee Republicans have not publicly responded to Cohen's legal threats as of Thursday. The state legislature's Republican supermajority approved the new map, providing the votes needed to override any potential veto.
The redistricting effort in Tennessee is part of a broader national pattern in which state legislatures controlled by one party have moved aggressively to reshape congressional maps following the 2020 census. Similar legal battles are playing out in multiple states across the country.
