Texas redistricting maps are racially biased, civil rights advocates claim in lawsuit

Civil rights advocates on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to overturn a redistricting map expected to favor Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, saying it weakens the electoral influence of Black voters.

The NAACP and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed the lawsuit in Texas.

They accuse Texas legislative leaders of engaging in gerrymandering to prevent Black voters from electing candidates of their choice.

"The state of Texas is only 40% white, but white voters control over 73% of the state's congressional seats," Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement. "It's quite obvious that Texas's effort to redistrict mid-decade, before next year's midterm elections, is racially motivated. The state's intent here is to reduce the members of Congress who represent Black communities, and that, in and of itself, is unconstitutional."

Since the Voting Rights Act was adopted, the state of Texas has been found to have discriminated against Black and/or Brown citizens after every cycle of redistricting, according to the NAACP.

Democrats and Republicans accused each other of racism during their debate last week in the Texas House over the new congressional maps.

Last Monday, the Texas House established a quorum for the first time in two weeks after Democrats left the state to block the new maps. That set the stage for the bill to come to the House floor. Democrats accused Republicans of violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The Justice Department says on its website that section two of the Voting Rights Act prohibits "discrimination in voting applies nationwide to any voting standard, practice, or procedure that results in the denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group." Republicans insisted they followed this law.

"Once again, Republicans continue to make power grabs on the back of Black and brown communities," said Rep. Venton Jones, D-Dallas. "We fought for one of the most important issues we have as Texans, and that's our right to vote. We're going to still continue to fight. We're going to take this to the courts."

Rep. Katrina Pierson, R-Rockwall, who is Black and represents a majority white district, rejected Democrats' accusations during an interview with CBS News Texas.

"It's victimization all day, every day," said Pierson. "There's no account for values, and that's what's most important. People of Texas have spoken in the last several cycles. Minority voters are turning Republican, and that is how this map is drawn. It's perfectly legal. Of course, they are going to take us to court, but we will win."

After eight hours of debate last Wednesday, the House approved the new maps by an 88-52 margin along party lines.

Representative Ann Johnson, D-Houston, scolded Republicans.

"This is about racism, and if you can't hear it from them, then hear it from me as a white woman and a daughter of a man of privilege. To stand here as a 50-year-old woman and know that we're going back in time. So, let's talk about cowardice and cheats," she said.

Pierson fired back at Democrats.

"The racist rhetoric is old. It is seriously stale and long overplayed. News flash: Democrats do not own minorities in Texas. Republicans are the majority, so it's not the people of Texas who are racist. It is you," said Pierson.

Texas lawmakers approved the map Saturday, creating five new districts favoring Republicans. The move came after President Donald Trump requested it.

"The five new Republican majority-leaning seats we believe for all the right reasons, legal reasons, and the right reasons politically that our state deserves those additional five seats because this state has changed dramatically," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently said to CBS News Texas.

The effort by President Trump and Texas' Republican-majority Legislature that prompted state Democrats to hold a two-week walkout also kicked off a redistricting effort in California, with other Democrat-led states hinting that they may follow suit. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democratic state lawmakers are moving forward with a November special election to put a new congressional map before the voters that could help Democrats gain five seats. California Republican lawmakers say they are suing to stop that from happening.

Republican Sen. Phil King, the Texas measure's sponsor, previously denied accusations alleging that the redrawn districts violate the Voting Rights Act by diluting voters' influence based on race.

"I had two goals in mind: That all maps would be legal and would be better for Republican congressional candidates in Texas," he said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has not yet signed the map into law, has predicted it will survive any court challenges. Abbott also has predicted other Republican-led states will make similar moves seeking new seats for the GOP in Congress.

Texas Democrats have said that once Abbott signs the bill into law, they will file a lawsuit against the state.