Overview

• Texas lawmakers passed a Republican-drawn congressional map expected to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott that analysts say could shift up to five seats to the GOP by merging Democratic-leaning districts and making two Rio Grande Valley seats more competitive.
• The NAACP, represented by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, filed the motion as an amendment to its 2021 case and requested both preliminary and permanent injunctions blocking use of the new boundaries.
• Plaintiffs argue the plan intentionally dilutes the voting strength of Black and Hispanic Texans in violation of the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution, pointing to population gains among people of color that they say are not reflected in the map.
• Republicans contend the lines reflect political performance rather than race, while the Justice Department this spring dismissed its earlier claims in the 2021 suit before later telling Texas that four Democrat-held districts were racially gerrymandered and should be redrawn.
• The NAACP is urging Democratic-led states to pursue countermeasures, and California leaders are advancing a new congressional map for a November special election that state Republicans are asking the courts to block.