NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After much back and forth, a three-judge panel decided Wednesday that the Tennessee legislature will need to re-number its state senate districts sequentially as outlined in the law.
This comes from the state redistricting back in 2022. Republicans and Democrats scraped about the lines, bringing forth lawsuits to the court about both the House and Senate maps.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said he sees the road to appeal.
“Senate leadership is reviewing the decision and evaluating next steps. Based on the thorough and compelling dissent from Judge Maroney, I personally believe an appeal is a very viable option," McNally said.
However, the court has upheld the updated lines for state House seats.
However, the legislature will have until Jan. 31, 2024, to order the Senate district numbers to be consecutively numbered. For example, Davidson County is not consecutively numbers. Nashville has Senate seats 17, 19, 20 and 21. Senate seat 18 belongs to Sen. Ferrell Haile, who covers Gallatin and Hendersonville.
“We appreciate the panel’s ruling today to uphold the House redistricting maps, which we have always said are fair and constitutional and represent the distinctive voices of all Tennesseans," Sexton said.
Tennessee Democrats were still frustrated at the ruling on House maps, which divide up more than 30 counties, according to court documents.
"We appreciate the work and thoughtful consideration of the three-judge trial panel in this important matter," said John Ray Clemmons, Tennessee Democratic Caucus chair. "However, we respectfully disagree with the Court’s majority ruling allowing the House maps to remain as currently drawn. The law in our state is clear: a redistricting plan must divide as few counties as is necessary to comply with federal constitutional requirements. Here, the Republican supermajority unnecessarily divided the maximum number of counties, not to comply with the U.S. Constitution but rather to strengthen its political power. This clear violation of Tennessee law should not be upheld."
The legislature reconvenes on Jan. 9.
