Tennessee Redistricting Special Session Day 1: Rules Set & Democrat Meltdowns

Image Credit: TN General Assembly & Canva

The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

Day 1 of the special legislative session called by Gov. Lee to redraw the state’s congressional map was not lengthy, but it did see continued outrage by Democrats and protestors as the rules were set for the real work to begin today.

Before either chamber gaveled into brief floor sessions on Tuesday afternoon, the House Rules Committee met to create the rules package that will be used by the body for the remainder of the session, including debate times and procedures. 

Several changes were proposed by Democrats calling for more time and extra steps through the process, like extensive legal review or in-person meetings for public input, but all were voted down via voice vote by the Republican majority except for Democrat Rep. Justin Jones’ proposal which was determined via a roll call vote at the decision of Chairman William Lamberth. 

The committee voted against Jones’ package 8-3 after he continuously called the session and the Republican members racist, a theme which carried through the afternoon. “No matter what rules are passed, no matter what decorum we try and perform, we have to be clear that this is about race,” he said. “They’re treating this like a game where Black people’s political power is expendable… You are spitting on the graves of our civil rights elders and martyrs.”

Ultimately, the only changes adopted by the committee were those proposed by Republican Rep. Clark Boyd. In addition to functioning in a state of “flow motion” where the regular rules are suspended and bills can move between chambers in the same day, Rep. Boyd’s changes also allow the House Speaker to appoint legislative committees. 

But the biggest contention came from the change allowing the Speaker or any committee chair to remove individuals like protesters “deemed to be detrimental to the orderly business” from the House and bar them from reentry for the remainder of the entire special session. Current rules dictate that a removed individual is only suspended from the gallery for the rest of the current day or the next, depending on the infraction, but this rule change would prevent the same agitators from returning every day and disrupting proceedings.

Democrats interpreted the rule to mean that witnesses would not be allowed to testify before committees if the room had to be cleared and that “the people’s voices” would be silenced if disruptors were being permanently removed from observing proceedings. 

Republican Rep. Jason Zachary responded to these objections, saying, “There is a decorum and a code of conduct in the gallery and everyone who is present at our proceedings. When we are elected as Representatives, we are the voice of the people. So, we keep having a conversation about the voice of the people, and you may not like it, but we are the voice of the people…In terms of participating, absolutely. People should be in the gallery, should be in the audience, but in terms of being a voice and speaking into the process, that is what we are elected to do.”

With the passage of the Republican rules package, the audience broke the decorum spoken of by Rep. Zachary and began shouting at committee members and singing the National Anthem.

Later in the afternoon, the House gaveled into session for approximately 10 minutes, just long enough for the body to officially adopt the rules for the session and Speaker Sexton to designate the members for each of the working committees: Congressional Redistricting,  Finance, Ways, and Means, Calendar and Rules, and Resolutions. 

The Senate gaveled in for around 30 minutes for similar proceedings, but members were granted more leniency to express their thoughts about the session overall. Each of the Democrats present condemned the session and redistricting efforts, with Sen. Raumesh Akbari calling it “an act of hate.” When both chambers adjourned for the day members went about their business, with many Democrats heading to press conferences and rallies. 

Both chambers meet again this morning, and the committee sessions will follow the rest of the day as lawmakers consider the bills making necessary statutory changes to allow the maps to be redrawn between censuses and the new map proposals. Below are the bills set to be considered: 

HB7001– Exempts the in-district living requirements for candidates for the 2026 election.

HB7002, HB7003, & HB7004– Delete the sections of state statute preventing the altering of the maps except after the census. (These will likely see some amending as all three bills appear identical as of this writing).

HB7005– Allows for the financial appropriations to cover the special session

HB7006– Democrat redistricting proposal (resembles the 2020 map and would see most of Nashville as its own congressional district)

All the bills will need to pass through the appointed committees before they can move to the House and Senate floor for further debate and a final vote.

Those floor votes could come as early as the morning of Thursday, May 7, but there was no timeline set by which the special session must adjourn in Gov. Lee’s official proclamation. 

The Tennessee Conservative will have continuing coverage each day of the Extraordinary Session and will provide updates on these bills as the specifics are revealed and discussed.

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.