By Black Star News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Tuesday, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which is representing the Texas NAACP, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in their ongoing case against Texas, for the racially rigged gerrymandered maps Texas Republicans and Trump have just made into law in Texas. The maps weaken the political power and representation of Black and Brown Texans.
The Texas redistricting Congressional map case was originally filed in 2021. Several leaders involved in the Texas lawsuit delivered statements regarding the preliminary injunction that was filed Tuesday.
“We now see just how far extremist leaders are willing to go to push African Americans back toward a time when we were denied full personhood and equal rights,” said NAACP Texas President Gary Bledsoe. “We call on Texans of every background to recognize the dangers of this moment. Our democracy depends on ensuring that every person is counted fully, valued equally, and represented fairly. We are prepared to fight this injustice at every level. Our future depends on it.”
“As part of the ongoing case led by a coalition of organizations, including the Texas NAACP and Lawyers’ Committee, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas in El Paso will hold a hearing on Wednesday, August 27, to consider the schedule for litigation concerning Texas’ redistricting efforts.”
“The state of Texas is only 40 percent white, but white voters control over 73 percent of the state’s congressional seats,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. “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.”
“Racial gerrymandering is not a new tactic in Texas’ playbook. The only difference this time is the racism is partially masquerading as partisanship. These maps take things from bad to worse, amplifying the profound injustice already experienced by Black communities and other communities of color in Texas who are simply seeking a voice and representation in politics and in their own futures,” said Damon T. Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “The Trump administration told Texas in no uncertain terms to create illegal, discriminatory maps, and Texas actively carried out the mandate. This is an intentionally harmful and discriminatory effort, and we must call it out as such. Black and Brown voters in Texas deserve better. They are legally and constitutionally entitled to fair representation. These maps do the opposite, and they must not stand.”
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