CASE SUMMARY
On March 24, 2022 the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Galveston County, Texas, the Galveston County Commissioners Court, and the Commissioner Court's presiding officer challenging the County's adopted County Commissioners Court redistricting plan as violating the federal Voting Rights Act. Specifically, the DOJ alleges the plan violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because it was adopted, at least in part, with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of Black and Hispanic voters to vote on account of their race or color and further results in the dilution of Black and Hispanic voters' voting strength, citing the elimination of the only district in which minority voters had an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. They are seeking a judicial declaration that the 2021 County Commissioners Court plan violates Section 2 of the VRA as having both a discriminatory purpose and result, an injunction barring the defendants from using the plan in future elections, and a court order requiring the defendants to adopt a new plan which complies with the VRA.
On June 1, 2022, the district court consolidated this case with two other federal challenges to Galveston County's Commissioners Court redistricting plan.
CASE LIBRARY
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division - No. 3:22-cv-93 [together with Nos. 3:13-cv-308; 3:22-cv-117]
- Complaint - 3/24/22
- Order for Conference and Disclosure of Interested Parties - 3/25/22
- Defendants' Consent Motion to Extend Deadline to File Responsive Pleading - 4/20/22
- Order - 4/25/22
- Defendants' Motion to Stay - 5/17/22
- Order Denying Motion to Stay - 5/24/22
- First Amended Complaint - 5/31/22
- Order of Consolidation - 6/1/22
- Plaintiffs' Opposed Motion to Request Scheduling Conference for Consolidated Cases - 6/28/22
- Defendants', Galveston County's and Hon. Judge Mark Henry's, Response to Plaintiffs' Motion to Request Scheduling Conference - 6/28/22
- Petteway Plaintiffs' Response in Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss - 6/29/22
- NAACP Plaintiffs' Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss - 6/29/22
- Order - 6/29/22
- United States' Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss - 7/5/22
- Defendants', Galveston County's and Hon. Judge Mark Henry's, Reply Brief in Support of Their Motion to Dismiss Second Amended Complaint of Hon. Michael Montez, et al. - 7/6/22
- Defendants', Galveston County's, Hon. Judge Mark Henry's, and Dwight D. Sullivan's, Reply Brief in Support of Their Motion to Dismiss First Amended Complaint of Dickinson Bay Area Branch NAACP, et al. - 7/6/22
- Defendants', Galveston County, Texas, Galveston County Commissioners Court, and Hon. Mark Henry's, in His Capacity as Galveston County Judge, Reply Brief in Support of Their Motion to Dismiss the First Amended Complaint of the United States of America - 7/12/22
- Consent Motion for Entry of Stipulation and Order Regarding Discovery of Documents and Electronically Stored Information - 8/12/22
- Defendants' Notice of Additional Authority - 9/8/22
- Petteway Plaintiffs' Response to Defendants' Notice of Additional Authority - 9/23/22
- United States' Response to Defendants' Notice of Additional Authority - 9/29/22
- Consolidated Defendants' Renewed Motion to Stay - 9/30/22
- Petteway Plaintiffs' Response in Opposition to Defendants' Renewed Motion to Stay - 10/21/22
- United States' Response in Opposition to Defendants' Renewed Motion to Stay - 10/21/22
- Petteway Plaintiffs' Notice of Additional Authority - 10/27/22
- Reply in Support of Consolidated Defendants' Renewed Motion to Stay - 10/28/22
- Order Denying Defendants' Renewed Motion to Stay - 11/17/22
- Joint Discovery Dispute Letter - 1/4/23
- United States' Designation of Expert Witnesses - 1/13/23
- Petteway Plaintiffs' Designation of Experts - 1/13/23
- NAACP Plaintiffs' Notice of Designation of Testifying Experts - 1/13/23
- Joint Discovery Dispute Letter - 1/25/23