Republican Gerrymandering may force Rep Sheila Jackson Lee & Rep Al Green to go against each other

[tulipsandroses]

Republican gerrymandering in Texas could result in a situation where longtime U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green are forced into a “double bunk” election during the next Congressional term. This round of redrawing efforts that are expected, “will severely impact the Houston, Texas area,” The Grio has learned from a high-ranking source on Capitol Hill.
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Sources close to Jackson Lee and Green contend that they do not plan to run against one another but plan to fight the potential move in court. The Texas members of Congress are currently sharing the same attorney in this matter. So far, there is no court date as they have to wait on the Republican-majority Texas House of Representatives to draw up their plan.

These same Democrats have faced this challenge before during the last time the state legislature took up the redrawing of districts. Green and Jackson Lee won the court battle then, and were able to stand on the pre-clearance portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was still intact at the time.


https://thegrio.com/2021/10/12/texas-sheila-jackson-lee-al-green-gerrymandering/

[uponit7771]

1. Only 64% of democrats believe Voter Suppression is a problem (link)

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Al and Sheila plan to litigate this issue

There will be litigation

Link to tweet

Sources close to Jackson Lee and Green contend that they do not plan to run against one another but plan to fight the potential move in court. The Texas members of Congress are currently sharing the same attorney in this matter. So far, there is no court date as they have to wait on the Republican-majority Texas House of Representatives to draw up their plan.

These same Democrats have faced this challenge before during the last time the state legislature took up the redrawing of districts. Green and Jackson Lee won the court battle then, and were able to stand on the pre-clearance portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was still intact at the time.

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) (L) speaks during a press conference with Rep. Al Green (D-TX) (R) at the U.S. Capitol March 25, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

But now they would be challenging a current voting system in which the Voting Rights Act has essentially been dismantled by the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby v. Holder to strip federal pre-clearance for states with a history of racist voter suppression.

Both Green and Jackson Lee are flying back to their home state and are expected to testify in person for a hearing in the Austin statehouse on Wednesday morning that focuses on the redistricting of Texas’s 18th and 9th congressional districts.

Former Obama Administration Attorney General Eric Holder has been working on these gerrymandering issues for the Democratic Party since 2017. In a written statement, Holder said, “the Texas Legislature has the opportunity to undo the proposed gerrymandering scheme and draw a fair map that accurately reflects the population shifts from the last decade. As it now stands, Republicans are proposing a gerrymandering map that clearly ignores both the census data and community input.”