President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has targeted one particular state more than others when it comes to lawsuits and condemnations: Texas.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday the DOJ is suing Texas — again — for an alleged violation of the Voting Rights Act. This latest lawsuit accuses Texas officials of diluting the vote of Latino and black residents in its new Congressional maps for 2022 after the maps created two new majority-white districts despite recent population growth being driven almost entirely by minorities.
Garland seemingly has a bone to pick with the Lonestar state. This is the second time the DOJ under his watch has sued Texas on the issue of voting rights. In November, the Department sued Texas over Senate Bill 1, its new election law. The DOJ alleged then that Texas was violating Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act by denying voters “meaningful assistance” at polling places.
Voting rights isn’t the only issue Garland has gone after Texas for. He released multiple statements condemning Senate Bill 8, which uses controversial methods to ban abortion after six weeks. When those didn’t work, the DOJ sued the state and petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the law. (RELATED: Supreme Court Keeps Texas Abortion Law In Effect While Reviewing A Case That Aims To Overturn It)
Other states have drawn some fire from Garland. He sued Georgia over its election law, which was the subject of much consternation for a period of time earlier this year. The DOJ warned Arizona earlier this year that its 2020 election audits might violate civil rights. Just days ago, it filed a “statement of interest” in a Florida voting rights case. The DOJ also reached a settlement with New Jersey on issues related to voter registration in August.
Biden’s DOJ is suing Texas for gerrymandering, but will it go after blue states for the same thing?https://t.co/p1sKe7WR6q
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 7, 2021
But no state has been under the microscope to the degree Texas has, and on a multitude of issues including abortion, election procedures and redistricting. No such suits have been brought in blue states that excessively gerrymander, such as Maryland, for instance. And various blue and purple states have election laws more restrictive than those seen in Texas and Georgia, but those states curiously haven’t been sued by Garland.
Texas isn’t the only state to challenge the Biden administration on policies ranging from abortion to vaccine mandates to elections. However, it certainly seems to be paying a unique price.