Common Cause Sues to Include Texas’ Communities of Color in The Redistricting Process.
Latest Update: The deadline for motions to amend or supplement pleadings or to join additional parties is April 14, 2022, and the trial is set for September 28, 2022 before a three-judge court.
Case Summary
Common Cause Texas, along with fair maps allies across the state, are parties in a lawsuit alleging that Texas’ new state legislative and congressional district plans are racial gerrymanders which would purposefully dilute the political voices of communities of color across the state, especially Black, Latinx, and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters. Our complaint argues that these maps are in violation of both the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and US Constitution, and should be replaced with new maps that more equitably distribute political power.
The Texas redistricting plan falls short in several areas – failing to create coalition districts and cracking voters of color in different districts to dilute their voting power. Furthermore, the redistricting process was inequitably conducted, with an overall lack of transparency regarding public hearings and limited opportunity for meaningful public input.
This intervention is necessary to give Texas’ diverse population a fair political voice for the next decade. BIPOC communities represent the state’s fastest growing population. If these maps stand, thousands of Texans are at risk of their voices being silenced and their concerns being ignored.
Self-interested politicians have abused the redistricting process like this for too long — which is why we’re taking Governor Greg Abbott and Secretary of State John Scott to court to overturn their intentionally discriminatory district maps. Our partners in this lawsuit include other members of the Fair Maps Texas Action Committee, OCA-Greater Houston, the North Texas Chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander Americans Public Affairs Association, Emgage, and 13 individuals, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).