Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s Statement on Federal Court Blocking Texas’ Discriminatory Congressional Map
Washington, D.C.— Yesterday, we witnessed a major civil rights victory for the people of Texas. A three-judge federal panel blocked Texas from using the racially discriminatory, newly drawn 2025 congressional map and ordered the state to return to the 2021 map for purposes of the 2026 elections. Greg Abbott and Donald Trump were reminded that God doesn’t like ugly—especially when that ugliness targets Texans.
As a Plaintiff-Intervenor in this case, I am proud to have fought not only for my constituents’ voices but for Texans as a whole. If this ruling stands, the 9th, 18th, 30th, and 33rd Congressional Districts—all intentionally dismantled—will be restored.
The court found that race—not policy—shaped how Texas drew the maps after state lawmakers, prompted by an erroneous statement of the law in a letter from the DOJ, instructed them to target districts with large Black and brown populations for decimation. After 10 days of testimony from various witnesses, the court was not convinced that this insidious move wasn’t intentional. The court did not even find the race-blind testimony of the map-drawer to be credible. It is worth noting that the same non-credible witness drew the ’21 maps, which had been a matter of dispute for the last four years—until they made bad maps worse.
This fight isn’t over. The case will proceed on its merits, and the State has already appealed directly to the Supreme Court.
It is time for Congress to do its job and prevent this type of chaos and controversy. We must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which not only restores the powers found in the original Voting Rights Act, but fortifies it. It is clear that states like Texas still need pre-clearance as a mechanism to ensure that all Texans are treated equally and fairly when it comes to accessing the ballot box and choosing their representation.
I will keep pushing, keep fighting, and keep standing with every voter whose voice they’ve tried to silence. When the people win, democracy wins.
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