I want to bring in Simone Sanders Townsen, co-host of the week night on MS Now and former chief spokesperson for Vice President Harris. MS Now's Maya Eaggan is in Indianapolis. And MS Now senior legal reporter Lisa Rubin is in studio with me. So Lisa, I want to dig into this Texas court ruling because the lower court did a pretty exhaustive investigation and they determined that this redistricting effort was clearly based on race. The Supreme Court said no. I understand it's not necessarily unusual for the ...

Legal & Political Landscape - The Supreme Court is considering a case regarding Texas's congressional map, which has been challenged as racial gerrymandering that violates the US Constitution [1][5] - A lower court, with a judge appointed by Donald Trump, found that Texas engaged in racial gerrymandering by targeting districts with Black and Latino voters [4][5][18] - The Supreme Court's decision could impact the use of the 2021 map, potentially preventing the GOP from gaining five more seats in Texas [8] - The case is part of a broader legal battle involving race and redistricting, including a Louisiana case concerning the Voting Rights Act [6][7] Redistricting & Legal Challenges - Multiple states, including California, New York, Missouri, and North Carolina, are facing legal challenges related to redistricting efforts [9][11][12] - These challenges involve allegations of gerrymandering and voter suppression, leading to ongoing legal battles [10][12] - The Supreme Court's involvement in these cases is notable, given concerns about the court entering into political matters related to drawing electoral maps [14] Key Arguments & Potential Outcomes - The central argument against the Texas map is that it uses race to disadvantage Black and Latino voters, which is claimed to be unconstitutional [5][17][18] - If the Supreme Court agrees that race was impermissibly used, the Texas map could be blocked, impacting the balance of power in the state [8][18] - The outcome of the case could set a precedent for how race can be considered in redistricting processes nationwide [5][6]

I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Walking Castro from Texas. Congressman, good to see you. Let me get your reaction to this ruling.>> Well, I think Gene Woo is right. It vindicates why Texas Democrats uh held out and fought against this racial gerrymandering. And Governor Abbott is one of, if not the most corrupt governor in the United States of America.And this was part of that corruption which is trying to deny people their voting rights for Latinos, for African-Americans, but really harming all T ...

The bottom line is that these folks are trying to cheat. They are concerned that uh the record that they have to run on is not one that is going to garner a lot of votes in 2026. And so the White House says Donald Trump says, you know, I'm entitled to get me five seats, Texas. And Greg Abbott says, you know, how high, sir? And you know, goes and gets him uh you know, tries to get him five seats, but he may not be getting him five seats. Indeed. Hi again everybody. It's now five o'clock in New York. Donald T ...

Redistricting Overview - Gerrymandering involves redrawing electoral lines to favor a specific political party [2] - This practice influences whose voices are heard and the extent of their impact [5] Texas Situation - Texas Democrats opposed Republican redistricting efforts, leading to their departure from the state [2] - Civil rights groups allege racial gerrymandering, aiming to dilute the voting power of racial minorities [3] - Texas is attempting to redraw state lines outside the typical census-driven redistricting cycle [5] Census and Redistricting - Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years following the census [4] - The 2020 census data triggered map redrawing across the country in 2021 and 2022 [4]