Tennessee Supreme Court blocks decision to redraw state’s Senate redistricting maps

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court’s decision that lawmakers must redraw the state’s Senate maps, a move that means the districts will likely remain in place for the 2024 elections. Late last month, a panel of judges ruled that the Republican-drawn map violated the state Constitution because lawmakers incorrectly numbered the seats in left-leaning Nashville. The numbers are important because they determine the years those seats are on the ballot. The state’s attorneys quickly moved to pause the decision, arguing that the plaintiffs had no standing to sue. Democrats and the plaintiff in the case have argued that pausing the redrawing of districts would keep in place a map that the trial court ruled unconstitutional.