unsplash/ Raziella R
The push for a new congressional district map in Texas by some lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott is a brazen attempt to gerrymander.
Federal Judge Jeffrey Brown halted their efforts in a Nov. 18 ruling where he wrote that there was evidence showing that Texas “racially gerrymandered the 2025 map.”
“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” he wrote in the 160-page ruling. “To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics.”
The move only benefits Republicans while silencing the voters who would be affected by the new map.
The new map would add new Republican seats to the House, and it’s telling that even a Trump-appointed judge would strike this idea down.
Brown gave several examples of non-White majority voting districts being redrawn to become White majority voting districts in the new map.
Furthermore, Brown pointed out how majority White districts was left relatively unchanged by the new map.
Why would the new map only change some districts but leave others alone?
The answer: The new map was drawn based on race.
It’s clear that in the scramble to consolidate power after Trump’s second inauguration, gerrymandering has emerged as a concern in Texas this year.
In Tarrant County, the Commissioners Court approved a new district map in a 3-2 vote.
The rationale for the decision, especially echoed by County Judge Tim O’Hare, is that in the years since the last U.S. Census was taken, Tarrant County has changed enough to warrant a mid-decade redrawing of maps.
This was done over the objections of the many Tarrant County residents who came before the court to express their concern..
Some public commenters said that the redistricting was a direct attack against one of the only two Democratic commissioners in the court, Alisa Simmons.
Trump began urging Texas to redraw its district map earlier this year in anticipation of the U.S. House elections in 2026.
After Republicans barely retained the majority in the 2024 elections with a 220-215 split, it’s crucial for either party to win the majority and get things done under the Trump Administration.
Brown’s ruling and temporary block on the implementation of the new map was met with criticism by some Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who posted on X Nov. 20 that it was an “erroneous ruling.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has criticized Trump’s plan to push redistricting throughout the country.
He launched a retaliatory proposition to California voters to approve a new congressional map that would give Democrats additional seats in the U.S. House.
The proposition was approved by California voters.
The political turmoil in this nation seems to be heading toward a climax next year as voters will decide who will represent them in the House.
The reason why these battles are being fought now is that politics depends on voters.
These redistricting attempts seem to show that not only is the hostility between the two major parties becoming worse, but it is also having real effects on voters’ ability to have their votes and voices heard.
It’s important now more than ever to be informed on politics overall, both at a national and state level.
We must continue to hold politicians accountable for their actions to make sure gerrymandering attempts like the redrawing of maps in Texas don’t go unnoticed.