Meanwhile, the three-judge panel upheld the state House maps. Only the Senate districts must get redone.
Nashville Tennessean
The Tennessee General Assembly must redraw its state Senate map by January following a Tuesday ruling by a three-judge panel that found the district boundaries unconstitutional.
Three voters, backed by the state Democratic party, sued Tennessee in 2022 over allegations that legislative Republicans unconstitutionally drew House and Senate maps to further entrench the GOP supermajority in the legislature.
The plaintiffs accused Republicans of excessively dividing cities and counties when redrawing state House maps and failing to follow a provision in the Tennessee Constitution that requires Senate districts in counties with several districts be numbered consecutively. The districts in question are Davidson County’s four state Senate districts, which are numbered 17, 19, 20 and 21.
The judicial panel sided with the state on the House map, with two of the three judges ruling it met constitutional requirements.
The ruling means Tennessee lawmakers will need to immediately address the Senate maps when they return to session on Jan. 9. The legislature must adopt a new map by Jan. 31.
