The news broke on Tuesday afternoon that Texas would not be allowed to use the new gerrymandered maps. They, the (Abbott/Trump Republicans), were told that the 2026 elections would need to use the 2021 maps, which are already favorable to Republicans. Pero, they are not as much race based as the 2025 edition they cooked up.
Great news, which is what most Texans wanted. But here’s the but: will they appeal to the Supreme Court? Yes, they will, but they will start by asking the Supreme Court to pause the ruling and allow the new maps to be used in the next election.
After that process, they move on to the merits of the case, namely whether the gerrymandered maps disenfranchise minority voters. Will they succeed in this legal maneuvering? It is hard to predict one way or the other. I hope not.
The plaintiffs in this case were the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National, represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Thank you for both. Unfortunately, your work may not be done yet.
In the future, one thing is clear, though: something must be decided quickly for candidates to know where they are running. In fact, it may cause some to choose not to run in a redrawn district, or it may have the opposite effect. More importantly, voters may not be able to elect people they trust to understand their community, leading to the loss of basic services they have always been able to count on.
This leads me to the Tarrant County lawsuit, in which LULAC Council 4568 and League of Women Voters president Janet Mattern are the plaintiffs. As most already know, the lawsuit was filed earlier this year, with legal help from the Texas Civil Rights Project.
The unnecessary and illegal redistricting of voting lines in Tarrant County clearly hurts minority communities. What the three Republican County Commissioners did, appears to be an obvious power grab. As we have explained before, redistricting normally occurs only after a census, which, of course, is every 10 years. Currently, we are over five years away from that process even starting.
So why now, well, many say that it is a Trump MAGA-led tactic, which they are pulling all over the country. O’Hare and his fellow Rs on the court have shown that they lean MAGA in their rhetoric and actions. If their illegal redistricting is allowed to stand, voters may only have two choices when voting: MAGA or MAGA light.
Unless you are okay with this, you had better stand with us in this ongoing fight. On Wednesday, 11/19/2025, a hearing was held to decide if our action can continue. Our side made our case very clearly, which is that the new gerrymandered maps will disfranchise minority voters. And deny them trusted representation and move many of them out of their voting districts. Further, the new map, which again hurts minority voters, was done behind closed doors. This illegal action, if allowed to stand, will ensure that County Judge O’Hare and his buddies on the court choose their voters rather than the other way around.
As of this writing, Judge Fahey has not issued a ruling allowing our case to continue. We hope that she will issue her ruling before Thanksgiving. And of course, we hope that the verdict is favorable to LULAC Council 4568 and LWV. And more importantly, ensures that voting rights are protected for Black and Latino Voters in Tarrant County. Which in turn is good for all who believe in fairness and democracy.
By A. Govea
You may also view a recent interview on 817 podcast here The Legal Battle Against Racist Gerrymandering with LULAC & Texas Civil Rights Project
