The county has been sued twice over the new map, and judges have declined to block the maps in\u00a0both<\/a>\u00a0cases<\/a>. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision in the first lawsuit,\u00a0Jackson et. al. v. Tarrant County<\/a>,\u00a0in a ruling Wednesday.<\/p>\n The judges acknowledged that Black and Latino voters were disproportionately affected by redistricting, but that doesn\u2019t prove commissioners had racially discriminatory intent, they decided.<\/p>\n \u201cAn obvious explanation for the disparity exists: race and partisanship are highly correlated in Tarrant County, and districting decisions driven by partisanship will often have disparate racial effects,\u201d the ruling reads.<\/p>\n The judges also dismissed the argument that Republican County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare\u2019s remarks in an interview with NBC 5 about redistricting proved any racial intent.<\/p>\n \u201cThe policies of Democrats continue to fail Black people over and over and over, but many of them keep voting them in,\u201d O\u2019Hare said. \u201cIt\u2019s time for people of all races to understand the Democrats are a lost party, they are a radical party, it\u2019s time for them to get on board with us and we\u2019ll welcome them with open arms.\u201d<\/p>\n That statement seems to be an expression of ordinary partisan politics, the court ruled.<\/p>\n Opponents of redistricting criticized the law firm the county hired to run the redistricting process,\u00a0the Public Interest Legal Foundation<\/a>, for refusing to answer questions about its maps at public meetings.<\/p>\n It makes sense that a government entity trying out some likely-unpopular partisan gerrymandering would want to \u201cavoid an extensive, public process,\u201d the court wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile that may not be consistent with the best practices of good government, it is hardly suggestive of racial motivation,\u201d the ruling reads.<\/p>\n The lawsuit also argued some voters would be disenfranchised by being forced to wait to vote in their next county commissioner race. Commissioners serve for four years, but their terms are staggered \u2013 meaning some people who would have voted for their commissioner in 2026 have to wait until 2028 under the new maps.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a natural consequence of redistricting, the Fifth Circuit decided.<\/p>\n Mid-decade redistricting went from unusual to common this year. The state of Texas kicked off a nationwide gerrymandering war by\u00a0redrawing its Congressional maps<\/a>\u00a0to benefit Republicans, another effort\u00a0that\u2019s facing legal scrutiny<\/a>.<\/p>\n This story is developing and will be updated.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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