Lawmakers across several Southern states are moving to redraw congressional districts following a Supreme Court ruling that reshaped how race can be considered in redistricting.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A wave of congressional redistricting efforts is spreading across Southern states after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling opened the door for Republicans to challenge and potentially dismantle majority-Black congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
South Carolina Republicans are now weighing changes to the state’s congressional map following the Court’s decision striking down Louisiana’s current district boundaries. The ruling found that Louisiana relied too heavily on race when lawmakers created a second majority-Black congressional district in an effort to comply with the Voting Rights Act.
The decision significantly changed long-standing legal interpretations governing minority representation and redistricting, triggering renewed political battles over congressional maps nationwide.
Republicans in South Carolina are considering a plan that could reshape the 6th Congressional District, represented since 1992 by Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn after the district was originally redrawn to favor minority voters.
President Donald Trump has encouraged Republicans in several states to revisit congressional maps before the November midterm elections as Republicans seek to expand their narrow House majority.
South Carolina legislative leaders said any redistricting proposal would require support from two-thirds of lawmakers in both chambers during a special legislative session. State lawmakers indicated the issue could surface as early as Wednesday, though Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey cautioned Republicans about the political risks involved.
Massey told reporters he recently held a cordial discussion with Trump regarding redistricting strategies and concerns that altering district boundaries too aggressively could unintentionally create opportunities for Democrats to gain seats.
South Carolina’s primary elections are scheduled for June 9, with early voting set to begin within weeks.
The push for new congressional maps is also underway in Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana.
In Alabama, lawmakers are considering legislation that would authorize a new congressional primary election if courts allow the state to replace its current congressional map with one passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2023.
Republican officials are attempting to overturn a judicially imposed map containing two districts with substantial Black voting populations. GOP lawmakers believe reinstating the Legislature’s preferred map could improve Republican chances of reclaiming at least one seat currently held by Democrats.
Democrats and civil rights advocates strongly criticized the proposal.
Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell accused Republicans of attempting to undermine minority representation, telling supporters gathered outside the Alabama Statehouse that Republicans were “working to secure an electoral victory by taking Alabama back to the Jim Crow era, and we won’t go back.”
Alabama’s congressional primaries are currently scheduled for May 19. Under the legislation being debated, if courts approve new district maps after that date, the state could disregard those election results and schedule a new primary using revised districts.
In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee called lawmakers into a special legislative session to examine proposals that could divide the state’s only Democratic-held congressional district centered around Memphis, a majority-Black city represented by Democrats for decades.
The proposed changes prompted protests inside the Tennessee Capitol, where demonstrators shouted “shame, shame, shame” as lawmakers convened.
State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Democrat from Memphis, condemned the proposal on the Senate floor, calling the redistricting effort “an act of hate.”
Martin Luther King III also sent a letter to Tennessee legislative leaders expressing concern that dividing Memphis could weaken Black voting strength and undermine decades of voting-rights efforts associated with his father, Martin Luther King Jr.
Tennessee’s candidate qualifying deadline passed in March, and primary elections are scheduled for Aug. 6.
Louisiana lawmakers are also preparing to redraw congressional districts after the Supreme Court invalidated the state’s existing map last week.
Following the ruling, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry postponed Louisiana’s May 16 congressional primaries to allow lawmakers time to adopt new district boundaries.
Republican State Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter said the legislative committee overseeing the process plans to hold a public hearing Friday.
The postponement disrupted voting already underway in Louisiana. According to the Secretary of State’s Office, more than 41,000 absentee ballots had already been submitted before the election suspension was announced. Approximately 19,000 ballots came from registered Democrats, 17,000 from Republicans, and the remainder from independent or unaffiliated voters.
Democrats and civil rights organizations have since filed multiple lawsuits challenging the suspension of Louisiana’s congressional primary.
The broader redistricting battle has intensified national political tensions as both parties attempt to gain an advantage before the midterm elections that will determine control of the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives.
Since Trump encouraged Texas Republicans to redraw congressional boundaries last year, eight states have adopted new congressional maps. Republicans believe the changes could potentially net as many as 13 additional House seats, while Democrats estimate they could gain up to 10 seats in other competitive districts created during the process.
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