After Alabama lawmakers refused to redraw congressional lines to create a new second district for black Alabama voters in which they would come close to comprising a majority, Federal judges have taken the matter into their own hands.
Deuel Ross, an NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund attorney who stated his case before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), gave his thoughts on the ruling.
“The court has once again confirmed that Black voters deserve two opportunity districts. We look forward to ensuring that the special master draws a map that provides Black voters with the full representation in Congress that they deserve.”
After SCOTUS ruled that Alabama’s one district violated the U.S. Constitution, the state legislators drew a new map that did not meet the requirements creating a second district in a state that has a black population of 27%.
Despite Alabama arguing that the maps were not in violation of the Constitution, the judges struck down the state’s rewritten maps as they viewed them to be insufficient.
In other news, Texas Representative Veronica Escobar (D) led a group of Texas representatives in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, condemning the shooting of a Mexican national.
In a controversial move, a Mexican national was recently shot by a Texas National Guard service member.
The details of the August 26 event are unclear. However, the letter alleges that the incident is connected to Operation Lone Star (OLS).
“However, as Operation Lone Star is a joint operation between DPS and the Texas Military Department, the Texas Rangers are not an impartial entity in this investigation,” reads the statement.
“Additionally, given that a Mexican national was involved in this incident, we urge the Department of Justice to open its own investigation into the shooting and to collaborate closely with our Mexican counterparts.”
The letter criticizes Gov. Abbott’s handling of the border and blames his policies for the violent incident.
“Given Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s continued undermining of federal immigration responsibilities through OLS and tactics such as the buoy barrier system, an incident like the shooting on August 26 was inevitable.”
