Texas Governor Greg Abbott's comments about redrawing the state's congressional map backfired in court, resulting in a federal judge striking down the new map as an illegal racial gerrymander. During a CNN interview with Jake Tapper, Abbott stated that the redistricting process was motivated by a recent 5th Circuit ruling that barred Black and Hispanic voters from joining together to bring voting rights lawsuits.
However, critics argue that Abbott's comments were misleading, as they tied the process to a court ruling that changed the racial makeup of who can bring legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act. By repeatedly emphasizing this connection, Abbott "explicitly directed the Legislature to redistrict based on race," according to Judge Jeffrey Brown's 160-page opinion.
Brown sharply criticized Republican legislators for unduly tethering the process to race, specifically condemning state Sen. Phil King as untruthful and inconsistent on the stand. The judge found that the Legislature's comments suggested they had a racial lens when redistricting, which is prohibited under federal law.
The ruling has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to act quickly. Candidates have until December 8 to formally declare which seats they are running for in 2026, putting the onus on the courts to soon clarify which map will be used in that election.
Abbott's comments have been widely criticized as a mistake, and he has since changed his narrative. However, Brown found evidence of racial motivations among key legislators, including House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Rep. Todd Hunter, who walked through the racial makeup of each district during floor presentations.
The case highlights the challenges of separating partisan gerrymandering from racial influences in redistricting processes. The U.S. Supreme Court has generally given legislatures the benefit of the doubt when trying to separate these two issues, but Brown's ruling suggests that the court may be more cautious in this area going forward.
However, critics argue that Abbott's comments were misleading, as they tied the process to a court ruling that changed the racial makeup of who can bring legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act. By repeatedly emphasizing this connection, Abbott "explicitly directed the Legislature to redistrict based on race," according to Judge Jeffrey Brown's 160-page opinion.
Brown sharply criticized Republican legislators for unduly tethering the process to race, specifically condemning state Sen. Phil King as untruthful and inconsistent on the stand. The judge found that the Legislature's comments suggested they had a racial lens when redistricting, which is prohibited under federal law.
The ruling has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to act quickly. Candidates have until December 8 to formally declare which seats they are running for in 2026, putting the onus on the courts to soon clarify which map will be used in that election.
Abbott's comments have been widely criticized as a mistake, and he has since changed his narrative. However, Brown found evidence of racial motivations among key legislators, including House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Rep. Todd Hunter, who walked through the racial makeup of each district during floor presentations.
The case highlights the challenges of separating partisan gerrymandering from racial influences in redistricting processes. The U.S. Supreme Court has generally given legislatures the benefit of the doubt when trying to separate these two issues, but Brown's ruling suggests that the court may be more cautious in this area going forward.
the fact that Abbott's comments about racial gerrymander are being used as evidence is so interest 
. It's one thing to say you're trying to protect voting rights, but tying it directly to a court ruling that changed the racial makeup of who can bring lawsuits is just not cool 
. And now, because of his comments, the entire process has been thrown into chaos 
. I'm all for transparency in redistricting, but this feels like Abbott was trying to sneak some racist vibes into the mix and it's not okay 
. The fact that Judge Brown found evidence of racial motivations among key legislators is just wild 
. Now it's up to the Supremes to figure out if there's any evidence of actual racial bias at play - and honestly, it feels like a long shot for them to get it right 
. Can't we just have fair maps without all this drama? 
Abbott's comments were like a game of 'gerrymander' - where they try to cover their tracks but end up leaving a trail of red ink all over the place 
. Anyway, it looks like the courts are having none of that 
, and now we've got a whole mess of redistricting drama unfolding before our eyes 
. But on the bright side, I guess this means those Texans can finally say they're 'red-districting' experts 
- yeah, right 
!
anyway, the judge's opinion is pretty clear - abbott's comments did tie the process to that court ruling and it looks like the legislature was indeed using a racial lens when they redistricted. i'm not surprised that the supreme court is gonna take another look at this... it's just frustrating that we have to go through all these hoops to make sure our elections are fair 
.
The judge's 160-page opinion is like, super detailed and calls him out for being totally dishonest. And can we talk about how lowkey racist this whole thing is? 
I mean, what's next? Are we gonna start drawing lines on our faces too? 
! This whole thing actually brings up some interesting points about how politicians' words can have unintended consequences 
. And on the bright side, the fact that this is going to court means we're getting a closer look at the redistricting process 
.
. It shows that there are people who care deeply about ensuring fair representation for all voters 
. And even though this ruling is being appealed, it could potentially lead to some positive changes down the line 
.
. And who knows, maybe this will be the catalyst for real change 
!
gotta say, Abbott's comments on the congressional map redrawing were super shady 
. He's trying to spin it like he wasn't thinking of race when drawing those maps, but the judge's opinion doesn't buy it 
. This whole thing just stinks, and I'm glad someone's speaking truth to power 
.
But that just makes it worse, you know? 
.