Gloria Sweet-Love

Darius Chappell, a 34-year-old man, died in custody at Montgomery County Jail after being arrested by deputies and a Clarksville police officer with a K-9 dog. A bystander video shows officers restraining him as the dog bit him, and his family claims he was denied medical attention. The NAACP and residents are demanding a federal investigation, while local authorities and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are examining the use of force and his death.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of Darius Chappell, a 44-year-old man who died four days after being bitten by a Clarksville Police Department K-9 during an arrest. The Tennessee NAACP criticized the use of force and treatment during the arrest and in custody, calling for community action to demand justice.

The NAACP Tennessee chapter filed a federal court injunction to block Tennessee's new congressional map, alleging racial discrimination against Black Memphis voters. The map splits Memphis across three districts, reducing its majority-minority status following a Supreme Court ruling. The NAACP's lawsuit is combined with the League of Women Voters' challenge against the map.

The NAACP Tennessee chapter filed a federal court injunction to block Tennessee's new congressional map, alleging it violates the 14th and 15th amendments through racial discrimination. The map splits Memphis, a Democratic and majority-Black stronghold, across three districts, potentially weakening its electoral influence. The lawsuit follows the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais ruling, which reduced protections for majority-minority districts.

A three-judge panel dismissed a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s new congressional maps, which were redrawn to split majority-Black Memphis into three districts. The NAACP and other plaintiffs argued the maps diluted Black voting power, but the court ruled the redistricting process was protected by sovereign immunity and lacked sufficient injury claims. Additional federal challenges remain pending.

A three-judge panel in Tennessee will decide whether the state legislature overstepped its authority by repealing a law against mid-decade redistricting and altering rules for the 2026 congressional election. The NAACP Tennessee State Conference and others sued to block the new congressional map, which eliminated the state’s only majority-Black voting district.