Texas Archives

American Democracy in 2025: To Prove Racial Gerrymandering, Minority Voters Must Now Show SCOTUS ‘Intent’ to Discriminate, Not Just ‘Effect’

December 30, 2025December 30, 2025

By any rational measure, the Texas legislature racially gerrymandered its congressional map in 2025 to add five more GOP seats at the request of President Donald Trump. But the U.S. Supreme Court majority allowed it anyway, claiming plaintiffs hadn’t proven their case.

Restrictive Voting Laws Passed in 20 States in 2025. Proof of Citizenship, Limits on Mail-In Voting and Narrower Voter ID Rules Dominated.

December 23, 2025December 23, 2025

Proof of citizenship, limits on voting by mail and narrowed voter ID options dominated the 37 restrictive state election laws passed in 2025, according to democracy legislation tracker Voting Rights Lab. Five states accounted for nearly half of the laws passed.

Challenge to California Gerrymandering Reaches Federal Courtroom, but the SCOTUS Decision in Texas Could Undercut GOP Arguments

December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

Testimony began December 15th in a Republican challenge to California’s new gerrymandered congressional map. Plaintiffs and the Trump Justice Department claim the legislature racially gerrymandered the maps, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s Texas decision may undercut that claim.

U.S. Supreme Court Majority Embraces Texas Redistricting, Ignores District Court Panel Racial Gerrymandering Findings

December 7, 2025December 16, 2025

The U.S. Supreme Court handed the State of Texas and the Trump administration a huge win December 4th, overruling a district court panel’s compelling racial gerrymandering findings. The gerrymandered maps likely deliver five more GOP congressional seats in the 2026 midterms.

The Purcell Principle, Often Used in the SCOTUS Shadow Docket, Will Be Argued in the Texas Gerrymandering Decision. What is it?

November 25, 2025November 25, 2025

The Purcell Principle is supposed to keep last minute changes in election law from creating chaos before and during elections. It’s also been unevenly applied in lower courts and the U.S. Supreme Court’s so-called ‘shadow docket', and is being argued again in the current Texas racial gerrymandering case.

American Democracy Minute

Tag: Texas

American Democracy in 2025: To Prove Racial Gerrymandering, Minority Voters Must Now Show SCOTUS ‘Intent’ to Discriminate, Not Just ‘Effect’

Restrictive Voting Laws Passed in 20 States in 2025. Proof of Citizenship, Limits on Mail-In Voting and Narrower Voter ID Rules Dominated.

Challenge to California Gerrymandering Reaches Federal Courtroom, but the SCOTUS Decision in Texas Could Undercut GOP Arguments

U.S. Supreme Court Majority Embraces Texas Redistricting, Ignores District Court Panel Racial Gerrymandering Findings

The Purcell Principle, Often Used in the SCOTUS Shadow Docket, Will Be Argued in the Texas Gerrymandering Decision. What is it?