Trump’s DOJ Withdraws Claims In Texas Redistricting Lawsuit
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), dropped its claims against Texas that its new state legislative and congressional maps violate the Voting Rights Act.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2021 by the DOJ under the Biden administration, alleged that the state’s new redistricting plans drawn with 2020 census data violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because they ignored the Lone Star State’s growing minority population and instead diluted the voting strength of voters. The lawsuit was later consolidated with several other similar lawsuits.
In late January, however, a federal judge ordered the DOJ, now under the Trump administration, to let the court know if they plan to continue their claims against Texas or change their position. In his order, District Court Judge Jerry E. Smith — appointed by President Ronald Reagan — referenced Trump’s appointment of Pam Bondi as attorney general and the DOJ’s order to freeze its Civil Rights Division as “possible influence” that the DOJ’s position might have changed in this lawsuit.
It was a fairly unusual order as judges don’t typically ask the DOJ to restate their position on ongoing litigation because of an administration shift.
Despite the DOJ dismissing their claims in the lawsuit, litigation is ongoing, with a coalition of pro-voting groups — including the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Mi Familia Vota and others — continuing their legal efforts for fair maps in Texas. A trial is tentatively set for May.