Justice Department sues Texas over Republican-approved redistricting maps

[dalton99a]

Source: CNN

(CNN) The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Monday challenging legislative maps adopted by Texas Republicans in recent weeks that it says fail to recognize growth in the Latino population.

The lawsuit alleges that the redistricting plan drawn by Texas lawmakers violates the Voting Rights Act.

"The Legislature refused to recognize the State's growing minority electorate," the lawsuit, states. "Although the Texas Congressional delegation expanded from 36 to 38 seats, Texas designed the two new seats to have Anglo voting majorities."

It is the second voting rights-related lawsuit the Biden administration has filed against the state this year. The Justice Department has also challenged restrictive voting measures passed by the legislature earlier this year.



Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/06/politics/texas-doj-redistricting-lawsuit-latino-minority/index.html

[PSPS]

1. Thanks to the supreme(ly-corrupted) court's gutting of the VRA's pre-clearance requirement

[cstanleytech]

2. Hardly surprising though that the majority of SCOTUS did as they want their party to win at

any cost.

[Joinfortmill]

3. Doing my Happy Dance.

[ShazzieB]

4. This caught my eye.

"The Legislature refused to recognize the State's growing minority electorate," the lawsuit, states. "Although the Texas Congressional delegation expanded from 36 to 38 seats, Texas designed the two new seats to have Anglo voting majorities."

Oh, they "recognized" the growing minority electorate all right. They recognized it, and then they carefully drew new legislative maps so as to disenfranchise as many of those minority voters as possible.

Knowing that these jerks are being sued by the DOJ warms the cockles of my heart. Which need all the warming they can get these days.

[ancianita]

5. Another path pursued in months ahead. Roberts might have to rethink his legacy.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

6. Will this wind up before SCOTUS?

Given the dire state we're in, with the mad hatter stoking hatred and violence in his name, how do we unbrainwash the Republican Party and those nativists out to undo the Constitution?

Another question: Did the NRA actually intend to manufacture civil unrest by appealing to racists and nativists? Is there no way to hold them to account for the damage they've done and continue to do?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. Trump GOP MO drag out in court. Why Garland wants pre-clearance restored

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. Oh wow. Key part - Absence of Preclearance

Absence of 'preclearance'
In decades past, Texas would have been required, under the Voting Rights Act, to obtain federal approval -- either from the Justice Department or a federal court -- before implementing new legislative maps.

That requirement, known as preclearance, was gutted in the 2013 Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder. Without it, the Justice Department is challenging the new maps under a separate provision of the law that will put the burden on the department to prove that the maps are discriminatory.

Garland on Monday noted the absence of the preclearance requirement and the impact its absence had on the department's voting rights enforcement efforts, by depriving it of an opportunity to review new maps before they go into effect.

"I want to, again, urge Congress to restore the Justice Department's preclearance authority where that preclearance tool is still in place. We would likely not be here today announcing this complaint," Garland said.