Welcome back to Redistricting Watch, where we break down exactly what’s happening inside statehouses across the country as state legislators redraw electoral districts and work to consolidate power outside of the normal redistricting cycle.
Since our last issue, a lot has changed. On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case Louisiana v. Callais, a case concerning the constitutionality of Louisiana’s congressional map and the rights of Black voters across the country to access fair representation in elections. The decision struck down Louisiana’s map that gave historic representation to Black Louisianians by providing two majority-Black districts that allowed Black voters and other voters of color the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. Furthermore, the court’s decision eviscerated one of the country’s most sacred civil rights protections, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The ruling was a devastating blow, as it permits states to use partisan gerrymandering as a wholesale excuse to deny Black voters a voice in their government. In other words, under the Supreme Court’s new view of Section 2, a state can, without legal consequence, systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power. And now, in Callais’ wake, we are already witnessing fair districts across the country vanish as legislatures aim to gut representation for voters of color without checkpoints from the courts.
Need a refresher on why congressional redistricting is so important to our daily lives? Here’s a quick catch-up.
Redistricting is the process by which state legislatures or other redistricting bodies redraw the boundaries of electoral districts. Redistricting typically coincides with the release of the U.S. census results, which occurs every 10 years at the beginning of each decade. But, right now, some state legislatures are redrawing congressional maps mid-decade — an unusual occurrence. This is called off-cycle redistricting, and it is not normal.
What’s troubling about the off-cycle redistricting happening right now is that legislators are sometimes using the pretext of partisanship to lock in power at the expense of Black voters and other voters of color, which the Constitution forbids. Politicians should not be selecting voters. Voters should choose politicians.
Rules about how voting maps are drawn can impact every part of your life. When courts rule in favor of fair maps, fair access and representation become the standard. Fair maps mean having a say in lower prices at the store, better schools, safer streets, accessible health care, and so much more.
LDF is closely tracking additional redistricting developments as legislatures draw, defend, and enact new maps that will affect Black communities in countless ways. Below are state-by-state redistricting updates since our last issue of Redistricting Watch, published on March 13.
Florida: NEW MAP PASSED POST-CALLAIS
During a special legislative session in the hours immediately following the Callais ruling, the Florida legislature passed a new congressional map, and the governor has since signed it into law ahead of the 2026 elections.
The map is currently facing several legal challenges under the Florida Constitution’s explicit prohibition on partisan redistricting.
Florida’s current map has 28 congressional districts.
Over 1.7 million Black voters reside in Florida.
Tennessee: NEW MAP PASSED POST-CALLAIS
In nearly record time following the Callais decision, the Tennessee legislature proposed and passed a new congressional map that appears to dilute Black voting power by carving up the city of Memphis into separate districts. The new map eliminated the only majority-Black district included in the old map.
The new map was signed into law by the governor ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. It currently faces legal challenges based on its constitutionality.
Tennessee’s current map has nine congressional districts.
Over 1.2 million Black people reside in Tennessee.
Alabama: NEW MAP BLOCKED FOR NOW
On May 8, Alabama’s state legislature approved a measure that would allow the governor to suspend the current primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives set for May 19, so long as the courts approve Alabama’s plan to draw new maps.
Alabama is currently bound by a court order to use its current congressional map until 2030 in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan. The state has asked a federal court to lift that order based on the Supreme Court’s Callais ruling.
The legislature is currently working on a redistricting plan to put a new congressional map in place, despite voters already having cast ballots in Alabama’s current primary for the 2026 midterm elections.
Alabama’s current map has seven congressional districts.
Over 1.3 million Black people reside in Alabama.
Mississippi: NEW MAP FORTHCOMING POST-CALLAIS
Mississippi will hold a special legislative session to discuss redistricting plans beginning on May 20.
Before the Callais decision, Mississippi’s governor declared that a special session on redistricting would occur exactly 21 days after any ruling in the case.
Mississippi’s primary elections concluded two months prior to the decision, in March.
Mississippi’s current map has four congressional districts.
Over 1.1 million Black people reside in Mississippi.
Louisiana: NEW MAP FORTHCOMING POST-CALLAIS
Louisiana’s governor and secretary of state, through an executive order, suspended Louisiana’s primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives until the legislature can draw a new map, even though thousands of ballots have already been returned in the election.
The Callais ruling struck down Louisiana’s previous congressional map.
Several civil rights organizations have challenged the executive order in state and federal courts.
The state legislature will begin discussing redistricting plans on May 8.
Louisiana’s current map has six congressional districts.
Over 1.4 million Black people reside in Louisiana.
Virginia: NEW MAP BLOCKED BY STATE SUPREME COURT
Virginia voters approved the state legislature’s redistricting plan in an April special election. However, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved map on May 8 based on a procedural technicality — not anything to do with the map’s composition.
A Virginia state court previously ruled that Virginia’s legislature did not follow the proper procedure to allow the redistricting process to move forward when it voted to approve a state constitutional amendment on redistricting. Democratic lawmakers appealed the decision in hopes of blocking the ruling, and the state Supreme Court allowed the special election to proceed.
Recently, the FBI raided the office of Virginia lawmaker Louise Lucas, who was a chief proponent of the state’s redistricting plan. The FBI has yet to announce any impending charges or details related to what prompted the investigation.
A recent poll suggests that 51% of Virginians support current redistricting efforts.
Lawmakers have expressed interest in flipping two to three of the state’s congressional districts.
Virginia’s current map has 11 congressional districts.
Over 1.7 million Black people reside in Virginia, making up 20% of the population.
Maryland: NEW MAP DIED IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION
As Maryland’s legislative season drew to a close, the Maryland redistricting proposal did not move forward in time to go into place for the 2026 elections. The Maryland House passed the redistricting bill, but it stalled and eventually died in the Senate.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore originally launched a redistricting commission in the fall of 2025 to explore drafting new congressional maps. The commission voted to recommend new congressional maps, which led to the introduction of a redistricting bill in the state legislature.
A recent poll by the Institute of Politics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, found that 81% of Marylanders polled are not in favor of redistricting for partisan gain.
Maryland’s current map has eight congressional districts.
Black voters make up 33% of all eligible voters in Maryland.
Keep an Eye On:
In SOUTH CAROLINA, lawmakers have approved a measure that will allow them to take up redistricting after the end of the normal legislative session. Earlier this year, lawmakers introduced a redistricting plan that appears to target the state’s sole historically Black district, represented by long-serving Representative James Clyburn.
In GEORGIA, lawmakers have called for a special session to discuss redistricting after the Callais ruling. Still, Georgia’s governor has insisted that the state’s congressional map will remain in place for the 2026 elections. However, the governor did assert that the Callais ruling mandates changes to Georgia’s congressional map for the 2028 elections.
In UTAH, Republican officials failed in their attempts to undermine the fair map instated by a district court judge, after the judge had ruled that the state’s previous map illegally overrode an independent redistricting commission. 85% of registered Utah voters support an independent redistricting commission. Most recently, state officials tried to put the question of repealing the state’s anti-gerrymandering law before voters in a special election, but they failed to gather the required number of signatures to put it on the ballot.
Previous Updates
All states featured here have undergone redistricting updates since our March 13 issue of Redistricting Watch. For information from previous issues, please check out the Redistricting Watch tab on LDF’s Substack page.
On the Horizon
LDF will continue to track updates as other states inch closer to initiating explicit redistricting efforts. Lawmakers are discussing holding special legislative sessions to determine the future of their congressional maps or proposing redistricting measures during current state legislative sessions.
Follow along in the next issue of Redistricting Watch as we update you on redistricting as it happens. In the meantime, for more information about redistricting, please visit LDF’s Redistricting page.
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