Tennessee redrew its maps. There wasn’t any drama as we’ve seen in South Carolina and Indiana—two states you’d think would support this redistricting effort approved by the Callais decision. Last week, there was chaos at the state capitol, with Democrats yelling, standing on desks, and acting all sorts of foolishly. Oh, and yes, there was talk about Jim Crow, which is laughable since Black voters still have their right to vote. Also, there are no Black House members from Tennessee, with the only Democrat being Steve Cohen, a white man.
It was a ruckus at the state capitol, and Tennessee Republicans weren’t going to tolerate it: TN Democrats were stripped of their committee assignments (via Reuters):
BREAKING: Notice has just been given to Democrats in the Tennessee House that all members of the Democrat Caucus are being removed from all standing committees and subcommittees as a result of their behavior in the statehouse during the redistricting debates last week, which… pic.twitter.com/ZhJpMiO7RQ
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 12, 2026
The Republican speaker of Tennessee's House of Representatives on Tuesday stripped Democratic lawmakers of all committee assignments as punishment for their role in boisterous protests during last week's special session on redistricting.
The move came five days after the Republican-controlled Tennessee House approved a new congressional map dismantling a Black-majority district in the U.S. House of Representatives built around the predominantly African American city of Memphis.
Last Thursday's vote, likely to result in flipping the Democratic-held seat to the Republicans in November's midterm elections, came as several Southern states moved to leverage the recent U.S. Supreme Court vote that severely weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act.
The House floor vote in Nashville was met with raucous protests by activists yelling from the balcony of the visitors' gallery and from Black lawmakers who stood at the front of the chamber linking arms in prayer as protesters sounded air horns and chanted slogans against the new map.
Take notes, national Republicans—this is how you handle business.