The Texas House returned to business Monday, making quorum for the first time since Democrats left the state to block a Republican redistricting map that could add five GOP seats in Congress.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a second 30-day special legislative session Friday, following through on his promise to continue convening the state legislature to thwart Democrats’ efforts to block a GOP redistricting effort.
The Fifth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling, striking down Louisiana’s state legislative maps for violating the Voting Rights Act.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called for a special election to authorize state redistricting, making good on his threat to redraw maps in response to a Republican redistricting scheme in Texas that could add five GOP seats in Congress.
The Texas GOP’s latest gerrymander explicitly targets key districts represented by Latino-elected Democrats, underscoring a strategy to court Latino voters while cutting off their electoral power.
An Illinois judge Wednesday rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s demand to enforce arrest warrants against Democrats who left Texas to block a Republican redistricting plan.
The Texas Senate passed a redistricting map Tuesday after two Democrats remained in the chamber, allowing Republicans to hold a vote on a controversial plan that could add five more GOP seats in Congress.
SCOTUS is set to hear oral argument on October 15.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion for contempt against Beto O’Rourke, accusing him of violating a temporary restraining order blocking him from fundraising to help cover the cost of Democrats’ quorum break.
Facing increasingly dire polls, President Donald Trump recently launched a gerrymandering war in the hopes of staving off Democratic control of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections.
