The Supreme Court’s ruling narrowing the scope of the Voting Rights Act is already prompting calls from Republicans to redraw congressional maps, a move that could create more GOP-friendly seats, particularly across the South.
In Tennessee, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Wednesday encouraged state lawmakers to reconvene and redraw district lines in a way that could flip a Democratic-held seat.
“I urge our state legislature to reconvene to redistrict another Republican seat in Memphis. It’s essential to cement [Donald Trump’s] agenda and the Golden Age of America,” Blackburn, who’s running to succeed Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee, posted to X following the decision.
“I’ve vowed to keep Tennessee a red state, and as Governor, I’ll do everything I can to make this map a reality,” she added.
Memphis is currently represented by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) in a heavily Democratic district.
I urge our state legislature to reconvene to redistrict another Republican seat in Memphis. It’s essential to cement @realDonaldTrump’s agenda and the Golden Age of America.
I’ve vowed to keep Tennessee a red state, and as Governor, I’ll do everything I can to make this map a… pic.twitter.com/qljW0mxiqG
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) April 29, 2026
The court’s 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais found that the state violated constitutional limits by drawing a majority-minority district predominantly on the basis of race. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act “was designed to enforce the Constitution — not collide with it,” adding that “lower courts have sometimes applied this Court’s […] precedents in a way that forces States to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids.”
“The State’s attempt to satisfy the Middle District’s ruling, although understandable, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander,” Alito wrote.
The full implications of the ruling remain unclear, but it could open the door for challenges to similar race-based districts in other states.
In Alabama, Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said the state would move quickly to ensure its maps “reflect the will of the people, not a racial quota system the Constitution forbids.”
“The Court rightly acknowledged that the South has made extraordinary progress, and that laws designed for a different era do not reflect the present reality,” Marshall stated.
Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signaled even before the ruling that he was prepared to call a special session to redraw maps, particularly affecting the state’s deep blue 2nd Congressional District.
“It is a decision that could (and in my view should) forever change the way we draw electoral maps,” Reeves wrote last week.
In Georgia, Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal called on lawmakers to revisit district lines, arguing that the current maps should be redrawn to benefit Republicans.
“The last thing that Republicans need to do is be weak-kneed in this moment. This is a time to be bold. This is a time to be aggressive,” Dolezal, who’s running for lieutenant governor, said in a video.
Democrats, meanwhile, blasted the decision. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the court “just turned its back on one of the most sacred promises in American democracy—the promise that every voice counts.”
The ruling lands amid an already intensifying redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterms, with both parties seeking an edge in the fight for control of the House during the final stretch of President Donald Trump’s term.
