The lawsuit accuses the county of engaging in unprecedented mid-decade redistricting to reduce minority voters’ electoral power.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A lawsuit filed this week against Tarrant County, its commissioners’ court, and County Judge Tim O’Hare is accusing them of racial discrimination.

Filed on behalf of the Texas Civil Rights Project, the League of Women Voters of Tarrant County and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the suit accuses the county of engaging in unprecedented and unneeded mid-decade redistricting to reduce Black and Latino voters’ electoral power.

The suit argues that this “secretive rushed process” violated the Texas Open Meeting Act, and that the redistricting violates the state’s anti-discrimination laws by burdening Black and Latino voters’ right to vote.

“Tarrant County is one of the fastest growing and most diverse counties in Texas,” said Nina Oishi, Voting Rights Staff Attorney at TCRP, in a statement. “Redistricting should reflect the people, not silence them. We stand with LULAC Council 4568 and LWV Tarrant County to end racially discriminatory maps that disenfranchise Tarrant County’s Black and Latino voters.”


League of Women Voters of Tarrant County President Janet Mattern said the precinct map adopted by Tarrant County commissioners on June 3 dilutes the power of minority residents over the community’s objections.

“This is illegal and is something the League will not stand for,” Mattern said in a statement. “Instead of maintaining the two majority-community-of-color precincts, the commissioners drew only one, discriminating against Black and Latino residents and limiting their ability to elect candidates of their choice. We are proud to join this lawsuit to fight against voter suppression and racial discrimination in redistricting to protect fair representation for our entire community.”

Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice for the League of Women Voters of the US, called the county’s move a “rushed and anti-democratic attempt to adopt a new, racially discriminatory map,” and said it was an example of a trend of mid-cycle redistricting that has begun around the country.

“When such actions arise, it is important and necessary that the League and our partners hold the government accountable at every level to prevent unjust and illegal power grabs that harm people,” Johnson said in a statement. “We are proud that Leagues like LWV Tarrant County are standing up to racial gerrymandering and voter suppression whenever it occurs.”

WFAA has reached out to Tarrant County for comment, but has not heard back as of Thursday evening.