Court denies injunction challenging Tennessee’s new congressional map

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A federal court denied a preliminary injunction in Sherman v. Hargett on Thursday that would halt Tennessee’s newly drawn congressional maps from taking effect.

This lawsuit was brought forth by three individual Memphis voters as well as the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, Memphis A. Philip Randolf Institute, the Equity Alliance, and it was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.

“The decisions by this court continue to further the disenfranchisement of Black voters in Memphis,” said Amber Sherman, the named plaintiff and an affected Memphis voter.

The court declined to grant the preliminary relief, but the underlying claims in this case remain pending.

“Black voters in Memphis are being forced to use a congressional map that unlawfully dilutes their political power as another critical election approaches,” said Ari Savitzky, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.

This lawsuit alleges that Tennessee lawmakers, in making the new maps, fractured Black communities in Shelby County by dismantling the former 9th congressional district. The newly created districts break up the former 9th district into three separate ones: 5th, 8th and a newly created 9th district.

“Today’s ruling means Black voters in Memphis will face the first election since their congressional district was split apart under a map designed to suppress their voting power,” said Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, legal director of the ACLU of Tennessee.

The ACLU said that the plaintiffs plan to continue litigating this case.

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