Bill Lee
Tennessee Republican Governor who called an extraordinary legislative session to remap Steve Cohen's Memphis seat within 24 hours of the Callais ruling.
Last refreshed: 7 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How fast is Tennessee moving to eliminate Steve Cohen's seat after Callais?
Timeline for Bill Lee
Called extraordinary legislative session targeting Steve Cohen's TN-9 Memphis seat after Callais ruling
US Midterms 2026: Four states queue maps after Callais ruling- Why did Tennessee's governor call an emergency session after the Callais ruling?
- Governor Bill Lee called an extraordinary legislative session within 24 hours of the Callais ruling to redraw TN-9, the Memphis district held by Steve Cohen, the state's only Democratic congressman. Callais weakened VRA Section 2 protections that had helped sustain majority-minority districts.Source: Lowdown
- What is an extraordinary legislative session in Tennessee?
- An extraordinary legislative session is convened by the governor outside the regular legislative calendar to address specific issues. Lee's 2026 call targeted congressional redistricting after the Callais ruling.
- Which states moved to redistrict first after the Callais ruling?
- Tennessee was fastest: Governor Bill Lee called a special session within 24 hours. South Carolina leaders confirmed map-drawing on 5 May, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issued a similar call the same day, and Alabama was flagged as the next likely state to act.Source: CFR / Brennan Center
Background
Bill Lee is the Republican Governor of Tennessee. Within 24 hours of the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais ruling on 29 April 2026, Lee called an extraordinary legislative session targeting TN-9, the Memphis district held by Steve Cohen, the state's only Democratic congressman. Tennessee became the first state to move on redistricting in the immediate post-Callais cascade, ahead of South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Lee, first elected governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, has presided over a Republican supermajority legislature. The extraordinary session call signals that Tennessee Republicans view TN-9 as an elimination target; Cohen's majority-minority district was drawn partly under VRA Section 2 requirements that Callais has now undermined.
Tennessee's speed distinguishes Lee from other Republican governors in the post-Callais wave. While Mississippi and South Carolina moved on the same day, Lee acted within hours of the ruling, making Tennessee's session the highest-profile immediate test of how aggressively states will exploit the new legal landscape.