1. A method for minimizing updates in a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) including a plurality of access control list (ACL) rules indexed by priority, the method comprising: providing a proposed rule to be added to the TCAM; determining whether an empty TCAM entry exists; adding the proposed rule to the empty TCAM entry if the empty TCAM entry exists; identifying, using a processor, a range of candidate entries in the TCAM for the proposed rule if no empty TCAM entry exists; determining, using the processor, a minimum set of rules to relocate within the plurality of ACL rules; creating an empty entry in the range of candidate entries based upon the minimum set of rules to relocate; and adding the proposed rule to the created empty entry.