On Monday, the Justice Department sued the state of Texas over its redistricting proposal.

Background: In October, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new redistricting proposal into law that analysts claim gives Republicans an unfair advantage in the state.

What happened: President Biden’s Justice Department filed a lawsuit in El Paso alleging Texas’ new redistricting proposal purposefully seeks to disenfranchise minority voters.

“The department’s career voting law experts have assessed Texas’s new redistricting plans and determined that they include districts that violate the Voting Rights Act,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference announcing the lawsuit. (per The Hill)

Context: The Supreme Court has previously held that the practice of drawing manipulated congressional and legislative district maps for political advantage is not reviewable by federal courts. But redistricting plans that disproportionately harm minority groups remain illegal under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (per The Hill)

What Republicans Say: Senator Tom Cotton called for Attorney general Merrick Garland’s arrest on Twitter, claiming the only reason behind the Justice Department’s lawsuit is because it involves Republicans.


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