Tennessee Republicans approve redistricting maps splitting Black-majority Memphis district

The Facts

Tennessee Republicans have approved new congressional redistricting maps that split up a majority-Black district in Memphis. The new maps are designed to give the GOP control of all nine of the state's congressional districts. Tennessee is among the first states to pass new congressional maps following recent Supreme Court rulings on redistricting.

How different outlets are framing this

The coverage shows clear differences in how outlets are characterizing Tennessee's redistricting actions. Politico explicitly uses the term 'gerrymander' in its headline and directly states the map 'aims to give the GOP a clean sweep' by 'fracturing Black-majority Memphis,' employing more pointed language about Republican partisan motives. CNN's coverage, while still critical, takes a somewhat more measured approach by focusing on the Democratic lawmaker's response rather than making direct assertions about gerrymandering in the headline.

Both Politico articles emphasize the strategic partisan nature of the redistricting, with one piece specifically connecting it to the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling, suggesting this redistricting was enabled by recent court decisions. The framing consistently presents this as a deliberate effort to eliminate Democratic representation rather than a routine redistricting process. The coverage uniformly focuses on the racial and partisan implications, with all sources highlighting the splitting of the Black-majority Memphis district as the central concern.

Source Articles

• CNN9 May, 23:37
  State Democratic lawmaker criticizes Tennessee’s redistricting map | CNN Politics

  Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, a Democrat, speaks to CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield about the state legislature’s decision to approve new congressional maps that splits up a majority-Black district in Memphis. Tennessee is the first state to pass new congressi…

• Politico7 May, 18:45
  Tennessee Republicans pass new gerrymander following Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling

  The map aims to give the GOP a clean sweep of the state’s nine congressional districts by fracturing Black-majority Memphis between three districts.

• Politico6 May, 15:54
  Tennessee unveils new congressional map poised to erase Dem seat

  The proposed map would give the GOP a clean sweep of the state’s nine congressional districts.