Texas GOP Babysits Trumpâs Midterm Gerrymander Circus
On July 7, the DOJ basically sent Texas a legal breakup text accusing the stateâs GOP-led legislature of 'unconstitutional racial gerrymanders'âa phrase blunter than a Texas BBQ pitmaster. Despite Texas Republicans proudly waving their Trump-loving banner, Bob Abbott and Ken Paxton got an urgent 'fix it or we sue' letter demanding a same-day plan, launching a map redraw to net the GOP up to five extra seats. Priorities? Disaster relief after deadly July 4 floods took a backseat while lawmakers hyped their 'One Big Beautiful Map'âa bipartisan nightmare that sparked fresh civil rights litigation before Abbott even signs it. Meanwhile, Trumpâs DOJ juggled lawsuits nuking Texasâ 2001 Dream Act tuition benefit just two days post-legislature adjournment, picking a friendly judge in Wichita Falls, Reed OâConnorâa Trump MVPâto quickly kill the decades-old benefit aiding undocumented students. This legal jujitsu to sidestep slow state politics vibes like a WWE tag team of authoritarianism, complete with a constitutional burn notice by Constitutional Law wiz Sanford Levinson, who compared Trumpâs loyalty cult to a FĂźhrerprinzip sequel no one ordered, while GOP Texas leaders eagerly taped a sequel too. Bets are off on whether Greg Abbottâs on board, but Paxtonâs ghosted every comment request like a millennial avoiding chores. Texas: where justice is delayed only until it can help Trumpâs midterm takeover.
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Texas GOP got a legal smackdown from DOJ for racist maps, then played the âdo it fast or we sueâ game to hand Trump more Congress seatsâbecause nothing says disaster relief like redrawing districts on nationâs deadliest post-July 4 flood weekend.
Proof Texas politics runs on speed-legal threats and draft-your-own-gerrymander kits, while disaster relief waits in the lobby like last week's Houston flood photos.
Trumpâs DOJ is playing chess on Texasâ political board, but only with courtroom checkmates and thanks to a 2001 Dream Act ball that got punted after the Legislature checked out.
Source: Propublica | Published: 8/25/2025 | Author: by Robert T. Garrett for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune
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