Tipsheet

DOJ Sues Texas Over New Redistricting Maps

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  December 06, 2021 3:00 PM

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing the state of Texas over its new redistricting maps, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the Western District of Texas, claims that the state violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The maps were drawn by state lawmakers during a special session and were signed and approved by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, in October.

“Today, the Justice Department has filed suit against the state of Texas for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act,” Garland said in a press conference Monday. 

“Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires that state voting laws, including laws that draw electoral maps, provide eligible voters with an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process and elect representatives of their choosing,” he continued. “The complaint we filed today alleges that Texas has violated Section 2 by creating redistricting plans that deny or abridge the rights of Latino and black voters to vote on account of their race, color, or membership in a language minority group.”

“Our complaint also alleges that several of those districts were drawn with discriminatory intent,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in the press conference. “Texas’ 2021 redistricting plans were enacted through a rushed process, with minimal opportunity for public comment, without any expert testimony, and with an overall disregard for the massive minority population growth in Texas over the last decade.”

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Gupta noted that Texas’ population grew by 4 million people from 2010 to 2020 and said that 95 percent of the growth came from minority populations.

“Despite this significant increase in the number and proportion of eligible Latino and black voters in Texas, the newly-enacted redistricting plans will not allow minority voters an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice,” Gupta added. “Instead, our investigation determined that Texas’ redistricting plans will dilute the increased minority voting strength that should have developed from these significant demographic shifts.”