The NAACP joined an ongoing federal lawsuit on Tuesday against Texas over its , alleging state lawmakers deliberately diluted the political power of Black voters ahead of next year鈥檚 elections.
The NAACP鈥檚 accuses Texas lawmakers of racial gerrymandering by weakening Black voting power in , Dallas and Austin by 鈥渃racking鈥� historically Black neighborhoods across multiple districts and 鈥減acking鈥� others into a small number of seats, limiting their overall representation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite obvious that Texas鈥檚 effort to redistrict mid-decade, before next year鈥檚 midterm elections, is racially motivated,鈥� said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. 鈥淭he state鈥檚 intent here is to reduce the members of Congress who represent Black communities, and that, in and of itself, is unconstitutional.鈥�
The NAACP鈥檚 lawsuit joins the League of United Latin American Citizens鈥� long-running case, which alleged in 2021 that Texas maps intentionally discriminated against Latino voters. LULAC is now as an alleged continuation of that pattern.
Texas lawmakers last redrew the state鈥檚 maps after the 2020 census, but civil rights groups say the latest plan 鈥� pushed through in 鈥� cuts into Black representation despite the state鈥檚 .
Dozens of House Democrats earlier this month in an attempt to block , which could give the GOP up to five additional congressional seats after the 2026 midterm election.
While the quorum break only delayed the plan, House Democrats after California lawmakers pledged to to offset Republican gains in Texas 鈥� a move that was celebrated by the NAACP on Tuesday.
鈥淲e must counter Texas鈥� unconstitutional move and ensure that if all else fails, Black Americans still have a voice in Congress,鈥� the group said in a statement.
