ICYMI: NRF Calls on Federal Court to Strike Down Texas’s Gerrymandered Congressional Map

For Immediate Release
May 21, 2025
Contact
Madia Coleman
coleman@redistrictingfoundation.org

Washington, D.C. – Today, a four-week trial is set to begin before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. Abbott, a lawsuit challenging Texas’s legislative and congressional maps as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Last week, the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF) hosted a press call featuring the organization’s Executive Director, Marina Jenkins, to preview the case ahead of the trial. 

The NRF is directing litigation and providing financial support on behalf of the Gonzales plaintiff group, which is challenging the congressional map in this case. The Gonzales plaintiffs are expected to take the stand and present their case beginning Wednesday, May 28.

Excerpts from remarks as delivered by Marina Jenkins, Executive Director of the NRF:

“The bottom line is that Texas’s congressional map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The Court should strike down this map and order the enactment of a new, fair congressional map that includes two additional Latino opportunity districts: one in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and another in Harris County.”

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“The long-term effects of depriving a community of a seat at the table can be seen in disparities in multiple aspects of life, such as higher poverty and unemployment rates, lower incomes, and being underrepresented in public office. To paint the picture for you: Although Latinos make up about 30 percent of the voting-age population in Texas, they hold less than 25 percent of seats in the state legislature and less than 20 percent of the state’s congressional seats. When deprived of representation in Congress, a community doesn’t have a say in Congress about the direction of this country. They do not have a voice to raise issues that Congress could address to help improve the lives of citizens in their community.”

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“This case isn’t just about a congressional map: it’s about representation, and living up to the fundamental ideal that should guide our democracy: that every individual has the right to exercise self-determination at the ballot box.”

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:

Following the 2020 Census, Texas was the only state to gain two congressional seats due to significant population growth. The census data also showed that 95% of the state’s population growth came from communities of color. Despite this, in 2021, the state of Texas enacted a congressional map that reduced the number of districts where voters of color have a fair chance to elect candidates of their choice and increased the number of majority-white districts. 

Immediately after the congressional map was enacted, the NRF filed Voto Latino v. Scott, now renamed Gonzales v. Nelson, challenging Texas’s congressional map for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The lawsuit argues that the map unlawfully dilutes Latino voting power, particularly in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Harris County areas. The case was consolidated with other challenges under LULAC v. Abbott, which includes challenges against the Lone Star State’s legislative maps.

After numerous delays tied to ongoing redistricting battles and higher court rulings, the consolidated case is finally going to trial before the Western District Court beginning on Wednesday, May 21. The court’s decision will determine the future of Texas’s legislative and congressional maps for the rest of the decade. To learn more about the NRF’s work, click here.

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