Overview

• Texas lawmakers convened special-session hearings on Thursday to redraw the state’s congressional maps in a rare mid-decade effort aimed at adding up to five Republican seats.
• Texas Democrats rallied outside the Capitol and threatened a quorum-breaking walkout to stall the plan unless flood relief measures are addressed first.
• A July 7 Justice Department letter warned that four Texas districts constituted unconstitutional coalition districts and directed state leaders to remove race-based considerations.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democratic officials floated tit-for-tat redraw proposals in blue states to offset GOP gains despite legal hurdles posed by independent commissions and state constitutions.
• Analysts caution that overly partisan mid-decade redistricting could backfire by turning currently safe Republican seats into highly competitive battlegrounds.