The U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29 ruling on Louisiana v. Callais has sparked a wave of redistricting activity in Republican-led states, with Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi moving to reshape congressional maps.
As Zeale News previously reported, the high court’s 6-3 ruling struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, which included a second majority-black district, as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. That decision narrowed when states may intentionally draw majority-minority districts under the Voting Rights Act.
Tennessee
On May 6, Republican leaders in Tennessee released a proposal for a new congressional map that would heavily favor the GOP by breaking up the state’s only Democratic-controlled district, centered in Memphis and represented by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn. The proposal would divide the state’s only majority-black district into three separate parts and result in a 9-0 Republican advantage.
State House Speaker Cameron Sexton said in a statement that the Supreme Court had found “that redistricting, like the judicial system, should be color-blind.”
“The decision indicated states like Tennessee can redistrict based off partisan politics,” Sexton explained. “Tennessee’s redistricting will reduce the risk of future legal challenges while promoting sound and strategic conservatism.”
The Supreme Court has opined that redistricting, like the judicial system, should be color-blind. The decision indicated states can redistrict based off partisan politics. Today, Tennessee joins other red and blue states in redrawing their congressional maps. @ltgovmcnally pic.twitter.com/lOeBf5tGMF
— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) May 6, 2026
South Carolina
South Carolina Republicans are also moving toward possible mid-decade redistricting. According to NBC-affiliate WSAV, the state House Rules Committee voted 12-2 on May 6 to amend a resolution and add redistricting as a possible special session issue, opening a path for lawmakers to consider drawing new maps. The resolution would require a two-thirds vote in the House and the Senate to pass.
A redistricting push would target South Carolina’s 6th District, AP News reported, the state’s lone majority-black district long represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn. A redraw could give Republicans a chance to win all seven of the state’s House seats.
The South Carolina House Rules Committee has voted to amend the sine die agreement to allow for Redistricting next week.
— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) May 6, 2026
Final Vote:
🟢 Yes: 12
🔴 No: 2
Potential New Map:
🔴 Republicans: 7 (+1)
🔵 Democrats: 0 (-1)
(+/- vs current map) pic.twitter.com/ZY93xVc8t7
Indiana
Redistricting became a central issue in Indiana’s May 5 Republican primaries after several GOP state senators in December 2025 blocked a map backed by President Donald Trump that could have given Republicans a 9-0 advantage in the state’s House delegation. According to May 5 election results cited by NBC News, only one of the seven incumbent GOP senators targeted by Trump-backed primary challengers for opposing redistricting won reelection. One race had not been called as of the evening of May 6.
The Hill reported that because Indiana’s primaries have now passed, the state is unlikely to reconsider redistricting before the midterms. But some political analysts argued that the state may consider taking up the issue again, especially if Trump’s picks win their general elections this fall, according to the outlet.
Alabama
In Alabama, the Republican-led House passed legislation May 6 authorizing special congressional primaries if courts allow the state to use a different map before the midterms in November, AP News reported. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
Alabama officials are seeking to overturn a federal court order requiring the state to use a congressional map that includes a second near-majority-black district. According to AP News, Republicans want to reinstate a 2023 map drawn by state lawmakers that could give the GOP a chance to reclaim that district.
The legislation passed by the Alabama House would only take effect if either the U.S. Supreme Court or a lower federal court lifts the current injunction blocking the earlier map.
Mississippi
Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves told The Daily Caller in a May 6 interview that his state could also revisit several of its electoral maps. Mississippi lawmakers are already preparing for a special session centered on the state’s Supreme Court districts, he told the outlet, but noted he could broaden the session to include other redistricting issues, including the state’s congressional and state legislative maps.
Mississippi’s congressional map currently includes one majority-minority district represented by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, Reeves said.
“We know that Mississippi’s majority-minority district was drawn race consciously,” he said. “I anticipate that the Mississippi Legislature certainly will reevaluate our state’s congressional map at the earliest opportunity they have.”