NASHVILLE (AP) — Lawmakers on Friday approved new boundaries for the 132 seats in the Tennessee General Assembly and the state’s nine seats in the U.S. House.Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey hailed the Republican-controlled redistricting plans as “fair, legal and logical,” though Democrats complained the process was secretive and unjust.Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said it would be impossible to please every incumbent.“It’s not perfect by any means, and there’s something about this plan that just about everyone can dislike a little bit, and some dislike a lot,” Norris said. “I’m glad this doesn’t come up any more often than every 10 years.”The 4th Congressional District, which includes Warren County, is greatly reshaped. The district, which formerly spanned 24 counties, was trimmed to 15 counties and now includes, most noticeably, Rutherford County.Also added were Bedford, Marshall, Rhea and Bradley counties.Dropped from the 4th District were Coffee, White, Cumberland, Hickman, Lewis, Lawrence, Giles, Fentress, Pickett, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Campbell counties, and a small portion of Williamson County.Senate Republicans rejected Democratic efforts to significantly redraw the maps, though they did make a few concessions that earned them the votes of Democratic Sens.
Lawmakers approve redistricting plans