NASHVILLE — Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to return to Nashville for a special session that could reshape the state's congressional map, including a proposal that could dismantle the state's only Democratic-held congressional seat, centered in Memphis. Some Tennessee Republicans are exploring redrawing district lines outside the traditional 10-year census cycle.

Tennessee currently has nine congressional districts, eight held by Republicans and one held by a Democrat. The Democratic-held district is represented by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and is based in Memphis. The last time the state approved a new congressional map was in 2022.

The special session follows a recent United States Supreme Court decision that reinterpreted the Voting Rights Act. For decades, courts relied on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1982 to prevent districts from being drawn in ways that diluted minority voting power.

Akram Faizer, a law professor at Lincoln Memorial University's Duncan School of Law, described the effect of the ruling. "It's a reinterpretation of the Voting Rights Act," Faizer said. "What you have to do is just treat all voters exactly the same based on their race." He said the political implications stem from voter behavior. "In our country, the vast majority of Black voters tend to prefer Democratic Party candidates," he said.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie said mid-cycle redistricting breaks from long-standing norms and could require changes to state law. McKenzie said breaking up the Memphis district would weaken Black political representation in Tennessee.

State Rep. Lowell Russell expressed reservations about the timing while indicating the effort was moving forward. "I don't like to redistrict in the middle of a cycle. Ideally, it would be every 10 years," Russell said. He pointed to redistricting activity in other states as a factor. "The train's left the station. It's not the lines in Tennessee, it's the lines across the nation now," he said. Russell acknowledged the legal uncertainty surrounding any new map. "It could be challenged. We'll just have to see how the courts preside," he said.

Changes to Tennessee's congressional map could influence the balance of power in Washington and reshape political representation within the state.