NAACP Tennessee State Conference v. Lee — Complaint and Emergency Petition (May 7, 2026)

NAACP Tennessee State Conference, with President Gloria Sweet-Love as named plaintiff, filed suit in the Chancery Court for the Twentieth Judicial District at Nashville (Davidson County) on May 7, 2026, hours after Governor Lee signed HB 7003. The complaint names Governor Bill Lee, Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Elections Coordinator Mark Goins, and the Tennessee General Assembly as defendants. Lead state-law claim: that Tennessee law restricts a special legislative session to the purposes stated in the governor’s proclamation, and that Lee’s proclamation did not state intent to repeal Tennessee’s prohibition on mid-decade congressional redistricting or to suspend candidate residency requirements for the 2026 election. An amended complaint filed May 12, 2026 added a state representative and a U.S. House candidate as plaintiffs and raised additional claims of voter confusion and campaign chaos. First hearing before a three-judge panel set for May 21, 2026 at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building.