美国联邦法院三人小组日前裁定，准许田纳西州启用新的国会选区地图，该地图将孟菲斯的多数黑人选区分割成三个地区 [1]。法院认为原告"缺乏任何种族歧视动机的直接证据" [1]，为共和党人争取额外席位扫清了障碍。
新地图将在8月6日的初选中首次使用，提前投票已于7月17日启动 [1]。这一决定引发民权倡导者和黑人选民的批评，他们指控这是压制黑人投票权的行为 [1]。民主党众议员史蒂夫·科恩因此宣布不再竞选连任 [1]。
这次裁决的背景是美国最高法院2024年4月在路易斯安那州案件中的裁决，该裁决削弱了《1965年投票权法案》的保护力度 [1]。田纳西州共和党官员声称采用新地图的动机是出于党派政治考量，而非种族因素 [1]。
A three-judge federal panel ruled Thursday to permit Tennessee to implement a new congressional map that divides the majority-Black district in Memphis [1]. The decision clears the path for Republican gains, with the revised map set for use in the August 6 primary election [1].
The court determined that plaintiffs lacked direct evidence of racial discrimination motives [1]. However, civil rights advocates and voters have criticized the redistricting as an effort to suppress Black voting power. The new map fragments the Memphis Black district across three separate regions [1].
Democratic Representative Steve Cohen announced he would not seek reelection in response to the changes [1]. Early voting is scheduled to begin on July 17 [1].
The court's decision comes following a significant shift in voting rights protections. The U.S. Supreme Court's April 2024 ruling in a Louisiana case weakened safeguards under the 1965 Voting Rights Act [1]. Tennessee Republican officials have characterized the new map as driven by partisan politics rather than racial considerations [1].