NAACP alleges new Tennessee congressional map intentionally discriminates on basis of race

The NAACP on Wednesday alleged in a lawsuit filed in federal court that Tennessee’s new congressional map intentionally discriminates on the basis of race.

The legal action follows lawmakers’ decision to carve out the state’s only majority-Black district through a Republican-friendly map that threatens the status of the lone Democrat in Tennessee’s nine-member delegation. 

Several Southern states moved toward advancing redistricting efforts following a Supreme Court ruling that delivered a blow to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voting power across the country.

“The Tennessee Legislature instituted an opaque and rushed process that lacked transparency and precluded opportunities for deliberation, to prevent meaningful debate, and to silence any voices of dissent,” the lawsuit says, alleging plaintiffs violated the 14th and 15th Amendments.

“Furthermore, legislators passed HB........

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