Republican Mapmaker Claims No Guidance Given to Preserve Minority Districts

In Federal Court, Republican redistricting strategist Adam Kincaid revealed that he was not directed to preserve any minority congressional districts when redrawing Texas's new congressional map, which is a significant departure from past redistricting efforts.

Kincaid, who is the director of the National Republican redistricting Trust, told the panel that in prior map-drawing efforts, like Texas in 2021, he received explicit instructions to protect Voting Rights Act districts, including majority Black or Latino districts.

"I was instructed to work around some of the districts in the Houston area and some of the districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Kincaid said in reference to the former map.

However, in the latest redistricting effort, Kincaid shared that no such guidance came from Texas lawmakers.

He instead mentioned that he only received directions from the White House and Texas's Republican congressional delegation. He also confirmed that he did not take into account hours of public testimony that raised concerns about racial discrimination in the redistricting process.

Judge Jeffrey V. Brown questioned Kincaid on why certain Democratic-held seats were treated differently. Judge Brown specifically asked why District 9, which Rep. Al Green currently represents, was broken apart while nearby District 7, which Rep. Lizzie Fletcher represents, remained intact.

Kincaid cited strategic challenges due to surrounding Republican held seats.

Throughout the hearing, the state shielded Kincaid from answering certain questions by invoking attorney-client privilege, claiming his work for the RNC exempted him from disclosure.

The court case is ongoing as plaintiffs seek to block the map on Voting Rights Act grounds.

Hearings are expected to finish in the coming days.