As state lawmakers in both parties ponder the possibility of increasing their share of seats in the House through redistricting, some have questioned the legality of the move.
The current situation kicked off in June, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session of the Texas Legislature that would, among other goals, consider the prospect of redistricting the state’s congressional seats to more heavily favor Republicans.
President Donald Trump’s administration, through the Department of Justice (DOJ), has encouraged this redistricting, claiming that some of Texas’s districts are illegal under the Voting Rights Act, civil rights legislation designed to increase participation in federal elections and prevent discriminatory or race-based voting restrictions….
Battle Lines Are Drawn Over Partisan Redistricting—What to Know
