FILE – Evan Milligan, center, plaintiff in Merrill v. Milligan, an Alabama redistricting case speaks with reporters following oral arguments at the Supreme Court in Washington, Oct. 4, 2022. The plaintiffs in voting rights cases in Alabama and Louisiana hoped they would be looking at new maps with additional districts where Black voters might have the opportunity to choose the congress member of their choice. Instead, they are facing continuing fights, including one where Alabama has taken a seemingly oppositional stance to the U.S. Supreme Court’s most recent voting rights ruling. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
(NewsNation) — A judge ruled on Friday that Galveston County in Texas must redraw its 2021 redistricting map because it violated the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, a Trump appointee, supported claims by civil rights groups that the map discriminated against Black and Latino community members undermining their voting power, the Texas Tribune reported. The map is to be redrawn by October 20.
The map had split Precinct 3, an area where Black and Latino voters held influence to dilute their impact. The map’s effect would have resulted in approximately 62% white voters in each of the four precincts.
Before the redistricting, Republicans held a 4-1 majority on the court, with the lone Democrat being Precinct 3’s Stephen Holmes, who is Black and had been in office since 2011. No commissioners’ court elections had taken place since the map’s adoption.
Sarah Xiyi Chen, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, expressed satisfaction with the decision, emphasizing that this change would allow Black and Latino residents of Galveston to have a more substantial influence on decisions shaping their community.
“The residents of Galveston fought hard for this win, sharing their stories and pride from the historic Precinct 3 – we are glad they are finally able to get the relief they deserve. We hope the commissioners court takes this opportunity to draw a new map that ensures that the community will have their votes, voices, and needs heard for the next decade,” Chen said.
In a news release from the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said, “This decision demonstrates that the Justice Department is vigorously enforcing the Voting Rights Act in communities across the country.”
In an Alabama redistricting case, the Supreme Court’s decision siding with Black voters gave Democrats and voting rights activists a surprising opportunity before the 2024 elections.
