Justice Department sues Texas over new districts

In the first legal action over congressional redistricting, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit in El Paso, Texas, on Monday alleging the state violated the Voting Rights Act by intentionally discriminating against racial-minority voters. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the new maps of Texas’ 38 allotted U.S. House districts into law in October. State Attorney General Ken Paxton called the suit an “absurd ploy” to control Texas voters. Texas has defended its maps in court after every redistricting cycle since the Voting Rights Act took effect in 1965.

What is the issue? Texas gained two congressional seats due to a population boom, most of which has been from Latino and black residents. The Justice Department lists several districts that it claims were redrawn to minimize the share of votes from those groups. Several Latino civil rights groups are also challenging the map in court. The Justice Department asked the courts to block all Texas elections until new maps can be drawn.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew about census delays and new approaches to redistricting.