The NAACP has launched a federal lawsuit against Texas, accusing the state of engineering a congressional map that weakens the influence of Black and minority voters. The legal challenge, filed in El Paso, targets Governor Greg Abbott and Secretary of State Jane Nelson, both Republicans, arguing the mid-decade redistricting is unconstitutional.
At the heart of the dispute is a map passed last week by Texas’s Republican-led legislature, which analysts say could hand the party five more congressional seats. Supporters insist the redrawing was a purely political maneuver to bolster Republican strength ahead of next year’s midterms. Civil rights groups counter that the move is racially charged, pointing to Texas’s demographics: while only 40% of residents are white, white voters control nearly three-quarters of the state’s congressional delegation.
“The intent here is transparent,” NAACP president Derrick Johnson said. “This is about diminishing representation in Black communities, and that cannot stand.”
The fight has spilled beyond Texas. California’s Democratic majority has already redrawn its own map in response—designed to give Democrats five additional seats—but that map, too, now faces legal challenges. Both states are betting that reshaping congressional lines can tilt the national balance of power in Washington, where Republicans cling to a narrow House majority.
Texas Democrats attempted to stall the plan earlier this month, staging a walkout that froze the legislature for two weeks. But the measure ultimately passed, setting the stage for a courtroom battle that could ripple far beyond the Lone Star State.
