After the Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais struck down that state's two-majority-Black-district map, Republicans in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama moved immediately to redraw congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterms, per The Dispatch. The explicit logic in Alabama: "We have a responsibility to give our state a fighting chance to send seven Republican members to Congress," read a joint statement from the state's House speaker and Senate president pro tempore.
The legal bet is on timing. Richard Pildes, constitutional law professor at NYU, told The Dispatch: "The federal courts might conclude, based on this Purcell doctrine, that it's too late in the day for them to address legal challenges" — a doctrine the Supreme Court already invoked in December 2025 to let Texas run on its gerrymandered maps. Tennessee moved fastest: new maps passed the Legislature and were signed by Gov. Bill Lee in a single day, eliminating Rep. Steve Cohen's seat.
The play is clear: lock in seats before any injunction can land. Delay is the strategy.