Justice Department Sues Texas Over New Voting Map

The Justice Department sued Texas on Monday over the state’s plan to redraw its voting district map, claiming it disproportionately affects Black and Latino voters.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said that the redistricting plan that Texas approved violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which says that voters cannot be denied equal access to the political process based on their race or ethnicity.

The plan “denies Black and Latino voters the equal opportunity to participate in the election process” and some parts of it were created with “discriminatory intent,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said, per the New York Times.