A lawsuit was filed against Texas by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) over the new congressional map that recently passed through the state legislature, arguing that it discriminates against voters of color and violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The suit, which technically amends a previous lawsuit against the state that the organization filed, argues that the new maps, the post-census congressional map in 2021 and state Senate and state House maps previously drawn “dilute the voting strength of voters of color and deny them the opportunity to elect preferred candidates of their choice… and were drawn by legislators and adopted by the Governor for the express purpose of impermissibly discriminating against voters of color” in violation of the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act.
The suit, filed on Tuesday, also argues that the Texas legislature did not allow sufficient public comment or feedback on the form of the maps that eventually passed the legislature.
“It’s quite obvious that Texas’s effort to redistrict mid-decade, before next year’s midterm elections, is racially motivated. The state’s intent here is to reduce the members of Congress who represent Black communities, and that, in and of itself, is unconstitutional,” NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement Tuesday.
The suit calls, in part, for a court to declare that the new map “was enacted with an impermissible and controlling discriminatory purpose on the basis of race” and to bar the state from enforcing or using the boundaries laid out on the map.
Republicans supporting the map had claimed during hearings and floor debate that the new maps were based on political performance and some other considerations. The map has not yet been signed into law.
The suit names Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson as plaintiffs.
ABC News has reached out to their offices for comment on the new filing.
Last week, the Texas legislature passed a Republican-favored congressional map that could flip five districts red by merging Democratic seats in the Houston, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth areas to form new Republican-leaning seats and by making two Rio Grande Valley districts currently held by Democrats more competitive.
The NAACP’s lawsuit is one of the first lawsuits against the new congressional map. Plaintiffs in other ongoing lawsuits against Texas congressional maps have also filed supplemental filings that argue the new maps are discriminatory as well, according to the Texas Tribune.
The NAACP also said Tuesday that it supports blue states redrawing their own maps in retaliation against Texas.
“At this time, the NAACP is urging California, New York, and all other states to act immediately by redistricting and passing new, lawful, and constitutional electoral maps,” the group wrote. “We must counter Texas’ unconstitutional move and ensure that if all else fails, Black Americans still have a voice in Congress.”
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