This Week at Democracy Docket: Reporting Live from the Texas Gerrymander Challenge

This week, a federal court in El Paso, Texas has been hearing a case that could determine who controls Congress after next year’s elections. And Democracy Docket has been one of the very few national news outlets to cover it. 

Minority voters are challenging Texas’ extreme gerrymander, rammed through this summer by Republicans on orders from President Donald Trump. The state’s new congressional map would likely give the GOP an extra five seats in Congress — while stripping Black and brown Texans of political power. 

Democracy Docket’s Jen Rice has been in the courtroom to hear just about every minute of testimony. As Jen reports, the plaintiffs are arguing that the gerrymander is illegal because it was driven by race, and not just pure partisanship. They’ve cited numerous statements by Texas lawmakers, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott, that the goal was to break up “coalition districts” — that is, districts where two separate groups of minority voters vote together to elect the candidate of their choice. To establish the existence of a climate of racial appeals in the state’s politics, the plaintiffs also played a video clip of a Texas Republican making a racist comment at a legislative hearing. That clip was unearthed last month by Jen herself — after which the lawmaker apologized on the Senate floor.

In addition to sending daily dispatches from the courtroom, Jen has also been recording videos that break down all the action. Check them out on our social channels.

Meanwhile, Republicans are also working to protect their gerrymander in Missouri. Advocates mobilized to get a measure on the ballot that would repeal the gerrymander if approved by voters. But state GOP officials are using all their powers to stymie the effort and prevent Missourians from having a say. Democracy Docket’s Yunior Rivas brings you all the details.

And our Jacob Knutson has been doggedly tracking Trump’s ongoing drive for dictatorial power. Earlier this week, Trump told senior military brass to prepare for war against an “enemy from within” — making chillingly clear that he meant opponents of his administration.

Jacob also reported on warnings sent by major law forms to their clients over Trump’s executive order that aims to crack down on progressive political and charitable organizations.

“The stakes are high,” one firm warned. “DOJ intends to target tax-exempt organizations and their funders for investigation and potential criminal prosecution, including based on activities that have historically been viewed as protected by the First Amendment.”