NASHVILLE — Today, U.S. Chief District Court Judge William Campbell, Jr. for the Middle District of Tennessee denied a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) sought by the Tennessee Democratic Party, along with other plaintiffs, to halt new redistricting maps from taking effect ahead of this Friday’s candidate qualifying deadline. The ruling is a procedural threshold decision, not a finding on the merits of the underlying lawsuit. The judge has not yet issued a written memo explaining his reasoning. The lawsuit, which challenges the legality of the state’s new congressional map, redrawn so a majority-Black voting district was eliminated and causing chaos for voters ahead of the elections, continues. Other active legal challenges to the maps are also pending.

The following is a statement from the Tennessee Democratic Party Communications and Deputy Executive Director, Luis Mata:

“We are disappointed in the Court’s ruling. But one procedural decision does not change what these maps are: racist, reckless, and wrong. Rewriting the rules mid-game is a disgrace, and we are not going to let them get away with it. The fight continues in the courts, at every ballot box, and in every community these maps were drawn to silence. We are organizing in every corner of this state and we are not backing down. They can split the district lines, but they cannot split the power of the people.”