Justice Department Files Voting Rights Lawsuit Against Galveston County, Texas to Challenge County Redistricting Plan

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act against Galveston County, Texas, challenging the redistricting plan for its county governing body, known as the Commissioners Court. The plan was adopted by the county on Nov. 12, 2021, after release of the data from the 2020 Census. The complaint alleges that Galveston County has violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by devising a redistricting plan that dismantles the only district in which Black and Hispanic voters had the opportunity to elect a candidate of choice to the county’s governing body.