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Prof. Justin Levitt's Doug Spencer's Guide to Drawing the Electoral Lines

State Summary

Tennessee’s congressional and state legislative lines are both drawn by the state legislature, as a regular statute, subject to gubernatorial veto.

In the 2010 cycle, the Tennessee legislature passed congressional (HB 1558) and state House (HB 1555) plans on Jan. 13, 2012, which were signed on Jan. 26, 2012.  The legislature passed a state Senate plan (SB 1514) on Jan. 19, 2012, which was signed on Feb. 9, 2012.

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Seats: (projected)

Institution:

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Plan Status:

Party Control:
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Key Info for 2000 Cycle

Primary governing law

Key Info for 2010 Cycle

Website

Primary governing law

Key Info for 2020 Cycle

Primary governing law

Data

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The Latest Updates

Nov 22, 2023
State trial court struck down state Senate maps as violation of state constitution. The court upheld state House districts.
Apr 13, 2022
The Tennessee supreme court overturned a lower court injunction against the new state Senate districts. The trial will move forward, but the districts will be used for the 2022 election.
Apr 6, 2022
Three-judge state court panel struck down the new state Senate maps for violating the state constitutional requirement that districts be numbered sequentially.
Feb 7, 2022
Gov. Lee signed new congressional districts into law.
Nov 15, 2021
Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee have released a congressional redistricting plan. Republican lawmakers have signaled that they will unveil their own districting plan in January 2022.

Institution

Tennessee’s congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature, as a regular statute, subject to gubernatorial veto.

Timing

Tennessee state law does not impose a particular deadline for drawing either congressional or state legislative lines, though candidates must file for congressional and state legislative primary elections by Apr. 7, 2022. [Tenn. Code § 2-5-101(a)(1)]  The legislative session began on Jan. 12, 2021, and is currently scheduled to end on May 6, 2021.

Tennessee law expressly permits redrawing state legislative lines mid-decade, before the next Census. For congressional lines, a state statute seems to prohibit redrawing the lines mid-decade, though the legislature could alter that statute if it chose. [Tenn. Const. art. II, § 4French v. Boner, 963 F.2d 890 (6th Cir. 1992); Tenn. Code § 2-16-102]

Public input

The legislature has not announced any specific plans for public input this cycle just yet.

Criteria

Like all states, Tennessee must comply with constitutional equal population requirements and must abide by the Voting Rights Act and constitutional rules on race.

For Tennessee’s state legislative lines, the state constitution further requires that districts of more than one county preserve those counties whole where possible.  State statutes noted in 2011 that it was the intention to split at most 30 counties to form state House districts, and that state legislative districts should be contiguous.  These latter criteria may also be altered by the state legislature.  [Tenn. Const. art. II, §§ 5-6; Tenn. Code § 3-1-102-103State ex rel. Lockert v. Crowell, 631 S.W.2d 702 (Tenn. 1982)]

2010 cycle

The Tennessee legislature passed congressional (HB 1558) and state House (HB 1555) plans on Jan. 13, 2012, which were signed on Jan. 26, 2012.  The legislature passed a state Senate plan (SB 1514) on Jan. 19, 2012, which was signed on Feb. 9, 2012.

The state Senate plans were challenged in state court, and upheld.  [Moore v. Tennessee, 436 S.W.3d 775 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2014)]

2000 cycle

The Tennessee legislature passed congressional (HB 274), state Senate (SB 197), and state House (HB 276) plans that were each signed on Jan. 17, 2002.

Though an early challenge to the 1990-cycle districts was filed in federal court in 2001 (and rejected), it does not appear that any of the plans actually passed by the legislature was challenged in court. [Crone v. Darnell, 176 F. Supp. 2d 814 (W.D. Tenn. 2001)]

Redistricting Cases in Tennessee

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Tennessee | State Upper | State Lower
Wygant (was Moore, and Turner) v. Lee
PENDING - State court challenge to state legislative maps: excessive county splits, impermissible numbering
Last Updated Jul 5, 2024
Case No. 22-0287-IV (Tenn. Chancery Ct., Davidson Cnty.); Nos. M2022-00434-SC-RDO-CV, M2023-01686-SC-R3-CV (Tenn. S. Ct.)
Cycle 2020
Tennessee | Congress | State Upper
TN State Conf. of the NAACP v. Lee
PENDING - Federal court challenge to congressional and state Senate maps: unconstitutional use of race, intentional racial discrimination.
Last Updated May 22, 2024
Case No. 3:23-cv-00832 (M.D. Tenn.)
Cycle 2020
Tennessee | State Upper
Moore v. Tennessee
State court rejected challenge to state Senate districts
Last Updated Jan 10, 2014
Case No. 12-0402-III (Tenn. Chancery Ct., Nashville); No. M2013-00811-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App.)
Cycle 2010