I strongly oppose Gov. Bill Lee’s special session proposal for a mid-decade, gerrymandered redistricting of Tennessee’s nine congressional seats.
By constitutional and statutory law, the General Assembly redraws congressional districts only after each decennial census. Tennessee code further provides: “The districts may not be changed between apportionments.” This proposed redistricting is therefore illegal.
But what if the Republican supermajority changes the rules to effect this power grab?
(IN THE NEWS: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee calls special session for redistricting)
The new districts — at least the three that include West Tennessee — would be wandering, convoluted and starkly at variance from any model based upon court-sanctioned considerations of compactness, contiguity, geographical boundaries, political boundaries, alignment of community interests or regional needs.
Effective representation requires deep knowledge of, experience within, passion for and focus upon one’s community.
As a native Weakley Countian, I understand our rural communities have vastly different concerns from those of larger metropolitan areas like Memphis or rapidly-growing boomtowns like Clarksville. Portions of both cities are nonetheless lumped in with the rural counties of Northwest Tennessee in the proposed revamp of the 9th District.
Our little corner of the state needs a U.S. representative who understands and firmly supports our small farmers and who will fight to improve lives in our rural towns. We deserve a leader who will focus on delivering favorable agricultural policies and rural economic development, investment and job creation.
The challenges Memphians face, however, center around urban renewal, mixed-use planning and development, infrastructure investment, public transportation, housing and community safety. Their needs are great and could not be more different from ours.
(IN THE NEWS: Hixson Rep. Reneau has legal and ethical concerns about congressional redistricting)
I do not foresee effective representation for the citizens of Memphis, Northwest Tennessee or Clarksville if these three disparate regions are senselessly dumped into one new wandering district.
So why would our governor call a special session to propose, or the General Assembly even consider, such a flawed, ineffective redistricting plan, one that Tennesseans have neither asked for nor want? Why would our state legislators blatantly disregard the wishes and needs of their constituents?
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the White House has demanded Gov. Lee rush this special session for the sole purpose of carving up majority-Black Memphis.
The plan effectively disenfranchises the voters of our second-largest city by eliminating their chosen representation in Congress. Since 2007, Rep. Steve Cohen has represented the 9th District, centered in Memphis. He is the only Democrat currently serving in Tennessee’s delegation.
Republicans hold Tennessee’s eight other House seats, both Tennessee seats in the Senate and the governor’s office; they wield supermajorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly, appointed all five justices on the Tennessee Supreme Court, six of nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court and occupy the White House.
Gov. Lee’s gerrymander would dilute the electoral impact of Memphis’ primarily Black voters by dividing and folding them into three new rural, white-majority districts.
Each of the proposed new districts stretch well into Middle Tennessee. This plan ignores the judicial directives of compactness and community interest, and undermines the integrity of our city, county, metropolitan, regional and Grand Division boundaries.
Gov. Lee’s proposed redistricting disregards our distinct regions’ unique needs and serves the interests of none of us who would be impacted.
In obeying his Washington master, the governor is only creating problems for his constituents, whether in Martin, Memphis or Montgomery County.
I urge the General Assembly to put people before politics and vote “no” on racial gerrymandering.
We deserve better.
April Lieberman is a seventh-generation Tennessean and former appellate attorney who has studied Democratic politics in the backwoods of West Tennessee.
