A federal judge on Thursday denied a temporary restraining order requested by Democratic U.S. House candidates, the Tennessee Democratic Party and voters as part of a lawsuit arguing that allowing the new district lines to take effect would cause chaos and confusion for voters just three months before the Aug. 6th primary election.
U.S. District Court Judge William Campbell, a President Donald Trump appointee, also canceled an initial hearing for the case, which he previously set for May 20th, five days after the new qualifying deadline.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) requested a restraining order on Wednesday in a separate lawsuit, citing an immediate need to “preserve the status quo” while awaiting the assignment of a three-judge panel to handle the case. The organization’s lawsuit argues that the new map, which eliminates Tennessee’s only majority-Black and majority-Democrat district, shows racial discrimination and First Amendment retaliation against Black voters.
The Tennessee General Assembly’s Republican supermajority passed the new district map last week after a whirlwind special legislative session called by Gov. Bill Lee at Trump’s instruction. Lawmakers also passed new rules for the 2026 U.S. House election setting a May 15th deadline for candidates to qualify, cement which district they are running in or bow out of the race. Campaigns for U.S. House seats were already underway before the special session, which was called weeks after the election’s original March 10th qualifying deadline.
Lawyers representing the state have objected to both restraining order requests. State attorneys also filed a motion Wednesday to combine the two federal cases, arguing that their legal issues overlap and they’re seeking the same outcome — halting the use of the new map.
A federal judge agreed, stating that combining the cases is “proper and legally justified” in a Thursday afternoon order denying the ACLU’s motion to keep the cases separate due to the distinct legal issues raised.
Treating the cases separately would duplicate judicial resources, particularly because each case may require a three-judge panel, U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. wrote.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Tennessee Conference, a state representative, and a U.S. House seat candidate filed a separate lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court hours after Lee signed the new map into law, requesting an emergency injunction. The lawsuit argues that the Tennessee General Assembly violated the state constitution when it passed the redrawn map because Lee’s proclamation calling the special session failed to specify state laws that would need to be repealed to allow mid-decade redistricting and changes to the election process. That case will be heard by a three-judge panel on May 21st.