Alabama and Tennessee Call Special Sessions to Redraw Congressional Maps After Callais Ruling
Following the Supreme Court's April 29 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee both announced special legislative sessions in early May 2026 to redraw congressional maps — part of a broader Republican-led redistricting wave sweeping the South before the 2026 midterms. Ivey called Alabama's session on May 1, initially having said the state was "not in position" for a special session before reversing course. Alabama's situation is complex: the state has an existing federal court injunction blocking the legislature from redrawing its map before 2030, stemming from a prior Voting Rights Act violation. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall separately asked the Supreme Court to lift that injunction. Alabama Republicans have targeted the state's majority-Black 7th Congressional District, held by Rep. Terri Sewell. The special session kicked off May 5. Tennessee announced its session on May 1, with Republicans planning to redraw the US House district covering majority-Black Memphis — currently represented by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen — which had been redrawn after Shelby County v. Holder but may now be vulnerable post-Callais. Civil rights advocates and Democratic officials condemned both sessions as attempts to disenfranchise Black voters under cover of the Supreme Court's ruling.
“A federal court confirmed what we have said all along: Alabama's 2023 congressional map was intentionally designed to discriminate against Black voters and dilute our political power. While we know that this legal battle is far from over, today's ruling sends a clear message — Black voters in Alabama cannot and will not be silenced.”