Tarrant County commissioners will consider a quarter million-dollar contract with the conservative law firm that led the county's controversial redistricting process 鈥� this time to defend the county in a lawsuit.
A group of Tarrant County residents sued over the new commissioners court map on June 4, arguing the redrawn precinct boundaries are racially discriminatory. The map gives white non-Hispanics the majority in three out of four commissioners court precincts, even though they make up , the lawsuit states.
The Public Interest Legal Foundation got a $30,000 contract to lead the redistricting process in April. Now, a vote for a $250,000 contract to defend the county in the lawsuit is on the commissioners court agenda for Tuesday鈥檚 meeting.
The Republican commissioners, who led the push to redistrict, have denied the new map took race into consideration. All three have been open about their intentions to grow their existing majority on the commissioners court.
The redrawn map makes Precinct 2 鈥� represented by Democratic County Commissioner Alisa Simmons 鈥� more conservative, .
Tarrant County Judge Tim O鈥橦are, a Republican, defended the county鈥檚 redistricting process in . When asked whether the new maps targeted Black voters, who generally vote for Democrats, O鈥橦are responded that the media is responsible for a lot of this country鈥檚 polarization.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l always talk about race, and race, race, race, and you do things that divide people,鈥� he said.
O鈥橦are did not consider race in choosing a new map, he said.
鈥淚t's real simple, no matter how many ways you want to ask it, or how many ways you want to word it, I wanted another Republican on the court,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have three Republicans on the court. We wanted another one, and that鈥檚 why we chose to do it.鈥�
The Public Interest Legal Foundation also defended Galveston County in a lawsuit over accusations of racial gerrymandering. The county commissioners court there redrew its maps and got rid of the lone majority-minority precinct, .
A federal district court , but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out that ruling and sent the case back to district court. Different racial and ethnic groups 鈥� in this case, Black and Latino Galveston County residents 鈥� cannot form coalitions to sue over racial gerrymandering together, the appeals court ruled, going against decades of precedent,
Redistricting in the middle of the decade is unusual. The process usually happens after the U.S. Census every 10 years. The next Census would be in 2030.
Texas鈥� Republican congressional delegation met this month to discuss a mid-decade redistricting for the whole state, .
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