The Department of Justice has filed suit against Texas, alleging that the state’s congressional and state House redistricting maps violate the voting rights of minority voters. On Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit, which claims that Texas has “again diluted the voting strength of minority Texans and continued its refusal to comply with the Voting Rights Act, absent intervention by the Attorney General or the federal courts.” The 45-page complaint asks the court to block the state’s plans and force it to redraw its district maps in 2022.
“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,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said on Monday, adding that the plans “will diminish the opportunities for Latino and Black voters in Texas to elect their preferred representatives.” The suit marks the second time in just over a month that the Justice Department has sued Texas over voting concerns. On Nov. 4, the Biden administration filed suit against the state over Senate Bill 1, a restrictive election law that was recently implemented.
Read it at The Washington Post
