Federal Courts Hand Republicans Another Major Election Win

In Tennessee, a federal judge rejected an effort by Democratic activists and voting rights groups to temporarily block the state’s newly approved Republican-backed congressional map, clearing the way for the map to remain in place for now.

Meanwhile, in Alabama, a separate federal panel blocked a Republican-drawn map the state hoped would create an additional GOP pickup opportunity.

The rulings mark the latest developments in a rapidly intensifying redistricting war that erupted after the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which significantly narrowed the use of race-based districting under the Voting Rights Act.