Texas Democrats face major losses of minority districts as part of redistricting battle driven by President Trump
By Jeffrey L. Boney
Forward Times
https://www.forwardtimes.com/
Minority congressional districts are under attack in the state of Texas, and the same thing could be coming to a state near you.
President Donald Trump has laid down the gauntlet, stating on camera that he wants Texas Republicans to do another redistricting, which would significantly target existing minority congressional districts and create five new congressional seats that would potentially favor Republicans.
When asked how many more seats he wanted Texas Republicans to create, President Trump told the media the following:
“Five, I think we could get five, and there could be some other states. We’re going to get another three or four or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one. Just a very simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.”
And just like that, redistricting is now an agenda item on a special session called by the governor of Texas.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who called for a special session that started this past Monday, July 21, mentioned that he had received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicating that several congressional districts in Texas were “unconstitutional,” as they interpreted it.
On July 7, the DOJ sent that letter to Governor Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with the subject line addressing what the DOJ referred to as: Unconstitutional Race-Based Congressional Districts (TX-09, TX-18, TX-29, and TX-33).
The alarming letter began with the following verbiage:
“This letter will serve as formal notice by the Department of Justice to the State of Texas of serious concerns regarding the legality of four of Texas’s congressional districts. As stated below, Congressional Districts TX-09, TX-18, TX-29, and TX-33 currently constitute unconstitutional ‘coalition districts’ and we urge the State of Texas to rectify these race-based considerations from these specific districts.”
The DOJ went on to use case law to attempt to justify their position, and then delivered this eye-opening analysis:
“It is the position of this Department that several Texas Congressional Districts constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders, under the logic and reasoning of Petteway. Specifically, the record indicates that TX-09 and TX-18 sort Houston voters along strict racial lines to create two coalition seats, while creating TX-29, a majority Hispanic district. Additionally, TX-33 is another racially-based coalition district that resulted from a federal court order years ago, yet the Texas Legislature drew TX-33 on the same lines in the 2021 redistricting. Therefore, TX-33 remains as a coalition district.”
Lastly, the DOJ delivered a strongly worded demand and threat to the state of Texas, stating:
“Although the State’s interest when configuring these districts was to comply with Fifth Circuit precedent prior to the 2024 Petteway decision, that interest no longer exists. Post-Petteway, the Congressional Districts at issue are nothing more than vestiges of an unconstitutional racially based gerrymandering past, which must be abandoned, and must now be corrected by Texas. Please respond to this letter by July 7, 2025, and advise me of the State’s intention to bring its current redistricting plans into compliance with the U.S. Constitution. If the State of Texas fails to rectify the racial gerrymandering of TX-09, TX-18, TX-29, and TX-33, the Attorney General reserves the right to seek legal action against the State, including without limitation under the 14th Amendment.”
This is reminiscent of 2003, when former U.S. Congressman Tom DeLay (R-TX) used his political power to capitalize on the Republican-controlled majority in Texas. He pushed for another congressional redistricting that was part of his strategic plan to expand the power of Republicans for decades in Texas and other states.
It worked, as the state of Texas has been under Republican dominance since 2003, despite the defiance of Texas Democrats who broke quorum to try and stop it.
Texas Democrats have found themselves in this situation once again, as this newly proposed congressional redistricting item on Governor Abbott’s special session could pose more challenges for minorities and Texas Democrats for decades to come.
Texas State Senator Borris Miles (D-TX) shared his thoughts with Forward Times on the redistricting agenda item placed by Governor Abbott on this special session.
“This is a political ploy by Trump and Republicans to gain power in the House,” said Sen. Miles. “It is immoral and unethical to target majority-minority districts under the guise of legality.”
Relative to the potential impacts of redistricting on the Black community, Sen. Miles states this will be extremely detrimental.
“It will destroy the Black vote, and Black representation will be lost,” said Sen. Miles.
State Representative Jolanda Jones (D-TX) has been holding Emergency Redistricting Town Halls to ensure residents are informed, prepared, and ready to act on the proposed redistricting.
“This is a direct attack on Black political power in Texas,” said Rep. Jolanda Jones.
“The short timeline is by design—to catch us off guard. But we’re flipping the script. This town hall is our chance to get ready, show up, and go on offense. The world is run by those who show up. We’ve got to show up. As a member of the Texas Legislature who will be voting on these maps, I’m going to fight with all of my might — to prepare myself, to prepare you, and to protect our power. I will show my fight through my vote.”
At her Town Halls, attendees have been given information regarding what the current and past Texas congressional maps look like; the one proposed map and its implications for CD 18; the demographic and ethnic breakdowns of CD 18; what a quorum break is and how it works; legal and grassroots strategies to resist racial gerrymandering; how to organize locally to protect fair representation; and much more.
“Governor Abbott and Trump’s Department of Justice are targeting majority-Black and Brown districts through a politically rigged redistricting scheme,” said Rep. Jones. “This is about power, not fairness.”
There have been only three official public redistricting hearings scheduled:
Thursday, July 24 – First hearing at the Texas Capitol (Appropriations Committee Room), Austin, TX
Saturday, July 26 at 11:00 AM – Second hearing at the University of Houston Student Center South, 4455 University Drive, Houston, TX 77204
Tuesday, July 29 at 5:00 PM – Third hearing at the University of Texas at Arlington, 701 S. Nedderman Drive, Arlington, TX 76019
“Save the date and show up for that public hearing,” Rep. Jones emphasized. “We must all have the tools to be informed and effective before the state makes decisions that affect our political power for the next decade.”
Freshman Congresswoman Lauren Ashley Simmons (D-TX), who was a teenager when the 2003 redistricting fight took place, finds herself facing the same potential battle in her first term in office.
Relative to the special session announcement, Rep. Simmons tells Forward Times that it wasn’t a total surprise, but the general mood among her colleagues is a mix of fatigue and frustration.
“We had months during the regular session to address many of these issues, yet here we are again,” said Rep. Simmons. “Being away from our families for this long is difficult, but our constituents deserve our full commitment. Even though we’re facing an uphill battle, I’m ready to fight for the people who sent me here. Given the tragedy in Kerr and Travis County, we should be focused on policies that will save lives, not political gamesmanship and power grabs.”
Rep. Simmons tells Forward Times that she is planning to address redistricting by continuing to speak up for her community.
“This is a blatant attempt to silence our voices, Black voices,” said Rep. Simmons. “But one thing about me, I’m not backing down. I’m here to make sure our people are seen, heard, and represented. I’ve spent a lot of time during this interim listening to constituents and understanding what’s at stake. I carry their concerns with me every time I step into the chamber or up to the mic.”
Rep. Simmons is encouraging all Texas residents to keep reaching out to their state officials.
“Your voice matters, and it needs to be heard whether that’s through calls, emails, social media, showing up at public hearings and coming to the Capitol,” Rep. Simmons emphasized. “As the late Congressman John Lewis said, ‘we need to make good trouble.’ When the stakes are this high, silence is not an option.”
Rep. Simmons tells Forward Times that this is not something to take lightly, because this could be devastating for Black Texans for many years to come.
“Redistricting would dismantle decades of Black political strength in Houston,” Rep. Simmons vehemently stated. “CD 9 and CD 18 aren’t just lines on a map; they represent historic communities that have fought hard to be heard in a state that too often tries to silence them. This would be a direct hit to our ability to organize, advocate, and elect leaders who understand our needs.”
As the Texas special session has begun, Texas Democrats have been discussing a possible breaking of quorum once again, despite Texas lawmakers implementing a new rule change in 2021 that states a legislator could be fined up to $500 per day if they break quorum.
Forward Times will keep you posted on developments as they happen.
