Tensions ran high at the Texas Capitol Thursday as lawmakers held their first public hearing on a controversial plan to redraw the state’s congressional map, just four years after finalizing the last one.

The five-hour hearing, hosted by the Texas House Redistricting Committee, drew dozens of speakers from across the state. Though not a single person testified in favor of redrawing the maps.

The most dramatic moment came at the end of the hearing, when District 18 congressional candidate Isaiah Martin was forcibly removed by Capitol security after refusing to yield the microphone when his two-minute time limit expired.

“The sergeants are directed to remove the gentleman from the room,” Chairman Cody Vasut said from the dais, as Martin shouted, “History will not remember you for what you have done!”

, Isaiah was arrested by DPS at the Capitol and is now facing charges of criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, and disrupting an official meeting.

An update shared by Martin’s brother on social media said that Isaiah may be in jail for up to three days.

While Gov. Greg Abbott has said the mid-cycle redistricting effort is necessary due to constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice, particularly surrounding four Democratic-controlled, majority-minority districts, many testifiers rejected that explanation.

“We deserve representation,” said Gabriel Rosales, Texas director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

“It is your responsibility to allow for diversity to be a part of the representation that we have going to Congress.”

The committee’s Republican members rarely engaged with those testifying. At times, lawmakers were seen checking phones or talking amongst themselves, prompting frustration from several Democrats on the panel.

“I guess we’ll see at the end of this process whether the people sitting around these dioses are listening to this,” said Rep. Jolanda Jones (D-Houston), “or whether it’s a kangaroo court.”

The hearing ended without any proposed maps released by the House or an official explanation of which districts could be affected.

Abbott’s office maintains that the process is a response to a July letter from the Department of Justice claiming that four districts, one of which, District 33, covers parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties, are unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering.

But many who testified said the timing of the redistricting push suggests something else: political pressure from Washington.

President Donald Trump has publicly urged Texas Republicans to draw five more GOP-leaning seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. Texas currently has 38 congressional seats—25 held by Republicans.

“Have you seen any proposed maps that the White House or Trump’s operatives have sent?” asked Rep. Chris Turner (D-Arlington) during the hearing.

“No,” came the response from the committee’s Republican chair.

Multiple civil rights leaders said that further diluting communities of color, who accounted for nearly all of Texas’ population growth over the past decade, would be discriminatory and destabilizing.

“If this proposal goes through,” said Gary Bledsoe, President of the Texas NAACP, “that means 84% of congressional seats would be controlled by white voters. If Trump gets five more seats, it becomes 87%.”

“If that doesn’t tell Black and Brown people they don’t matter, it absolutely does,” he added.

Testifiers also expressed concern about how redistricting could hurt local economies and community cohesion.

“Please don’t forget that as Texans, we do not— we do not—bend the knee to anyone in Washington,” said Alicia Perez-Hodge, a longtime conservative activist who opposed the process.

Angela Valenzuela, a LULAC member, called the redistricting push “reckless.”

“Y’all are being played big time,” she said. “Have some self-respect here.”

Two more public hearings are scheduled: one in Houston on Saturday at the University of Houston (11 a.m.), and another in Arlington on Monday at UT-Arlington (5 p.m.). Each hearing will be capped at five hours of public testimony, with two minutes allotted per speaker.

No proposed maps have been released publicly. The committee is still accepting online public comments until the final hearing adjourns.

The fight over Texas’ political future took place in two time zones Friday, one at the State Capitol, where over 100 Texans signed up to testify against a controversial redistricting effort, and the other thousands of miles away, where House Democratic state lawmakers met with the governors of California and Illinois to rally national support.

The root of the controversy: a rare mid-cycle attempt to redraw Texas’ congressional maps, just three years after the 2021 redistricting process concluded.

Republican leaders say the move was prompted by a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice suggesting racial gerrymandering concerns. But critics, including Democrats, community advocates, and some experts, call it a politically motivated power grab backed by President Donald Trump, who has publicly called on Texas lawmakers to create five new GOP-leaning districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.

At Friday’s Senate Redistricting Committee hearing, State Senator Boris Miles (D-Houston) opened testimony by blasting the entire process:

“It is quite frankly disrespectful to every Black and Brown citizen of this state.”

More than 100 Texans signed up to speak, and nearly all opposed the effort.

Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) questioned the reasoning behind the timing, “We didn’t have anything to do with redistricting in the regular session. Nobody said a word about the congressional lines. Why are we undertaking the highly unusual process of redistricting five years early?”

The hearing lasted for hours, and although testimony flowed, Republican lawmakers on the committee remained mostly silent.

Austinite Alisha Butler testified that she believed this was about consolidating power, not fairness: “I’ve been around long enough to know that some of you don’t care about unfairly diluting anybody’s votes. In fact, that’s what the Governor’s goal is with this redistricting.”

While the Senate was hearing from Texans, 15 Texas House Democrats flew out of the state, not to break quorum, but to meet with Democratic Governors Gavin Newsom and J.B. Pritzker in California and Illinois, respectively.

Both governors have signaled they may consider redrawing their own maps as a counterweight to Texas’ efforts.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker told Texas lawmakers, “We believe in representation for minorities here in Illinois. It appears that the leadership in Texas wants to take us backward as a country.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom added, “That’s why we’re here, to have the back of not only those representatives from Texas but the people of Texas that are struggling and suffering with the same kind of assault on the rule of law and the assault on democracy.”

The trip is part of a broader strategy by Texas Democrats to frame redistricting as not just a state-level issue but a national fight for representation and voting rights.

But not everyone is convinced the Democrats’ out-of-state efforts will have any impact.

“This is all pure political theater,” said Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University. “Texas Democrats are milking this for all it’s worth. Flying to California it doesn’t really do much. They have an independent redistricting commission out there.”

In Illinois, Jones notes, Democrats already control nearly every seat.

“They already have all the Democratic seats they could possibly maneuver.”

Back in Texas, Jones says Republican lawmakers are participating reluctantly and largely to appease Trump.

“By and large, Texas Republicans do not want to be engaging in this redistricting process,” he said. “The only reason why it’s on the special session agenda and why these hearings are being held is that President Donald Trump wants Texas Republicans to do it, with a somewhat fanciful idea that they’ll somehow be able to pull two, three, four, or five more Republicans out of their hat for the 2026 elections.”

Even if Republicans succeed in redrawing the maps, Jones warns it could come at a cost.

“Most Republicans believe the best-case scenario is they keep their current number of seats, but suffer the political backlash for being seen as trying to rig the system and being submissive to President Trump.”

The House Democrats who traveled out of state are expected to return Friday night, and they’ve emphasized that this trip was not a walkout, though some members have suggested a quorum break may still be on the table.

The Senate, meanwhile, could begin drawing maps as early as next week. So far, no proposed redistricting maps have been made public.

Governor Abbott’s office and multiple Republican members of both chambers’ redistricting committees did not respond to CBS Austin’s requests for comment this week.

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Texas Democrats are threatening to leave the state to halt proceedings as Republicans push forward with controversial redistricting plans.

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers are taking public testimony Thursday about plans to redraw the state’s congressional districts after Governor Abbott quickly added redistricting to the special session. The move comes after the Department of Justice claimed four districts in the Houston and Fort Worth areas are unconstitutionally drawn along racial lines, though critics are calling the effort a political power play aimed at expanding GOP control in the 2026 midterms.

The House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting was still hearing hours of testimony Thursday afternoon. Republicans hope the effort produces more support for the Trump administration in Congress, while Democrats are sounding the alarm and calling it a power grab.

Democrats and activist groups rallied at the Texas State Capitol against GOP efforts to redraw congressional district maps. Party leaders say Democrats should use every strategy to oppose it, including leaving the state to bring the capitol to a halt.

“Donald Trump is trying to rig the next election,” said Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat from Austin.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke addressed the crowd, saying, “Let’s show this country what it looks like to stand, to fight and to win.”

People attending the rally expressed concerns that redrawing maps could disenfranchise their vote. Belinda Vaca from Buda explained her presence at the rally: “Because the injustice I saw, like my sign says… fair maps, equals fair votes.”

Alexandria Anderson from Austin emphasized the broader impact.

“I think this is the time for Texans to get up and have a voice and stand in solidarity with the individuals, even though this may not be affecting your district, it’s going to affect us all,” Anderson said.

Inside the Capitol, the House Select Committee on Redistricting took testimony, with Republicans remaining focused on moving forward with Governor Abbott’s call for redrawing maps and not pushing back on the assertion that redrawing maps would benefit President Trump.

“I think whether or not there needs to be midcycle redistricting is a matter of opinion,” said Rep. Cody Vasut, a Republican from Angleton.

The redistricting hearing is expected to be heated following what critics, particularly Democrats, have called “a partisan power grab” by the Republican-led Legislature.

Ed Castillo/Houston Public Media

Texas state representatives will convene at the University of Houston Saturday to hear public comments on plans to redraw congressional maps mid-decade. The hearing will take place in the UH Student Center beginning at 11 a.m. Public testimony will be allotted a maximum of five hours, with each speaker having up to two minutes to testify. Texas residents wishing to submit written comments may do so electronically.

The redistricting hearing is expected to be heated following what critics, particularly Democrats, have called “a partisan power grab” by the Republican-led Legislature.

“There are a lot of people who look at what Republicans are doing and say that they’re essentially letting the lawmakers pick their voters, instead of having the voters pick their lawmakers, that’s going to raise a lot of ire and so this will be a very contentious hearing,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at UH.

Renée Cross, senior executive director of the UH Hobby School of Public Affairs, expects a heavy turnout for the hearing, particularly among Democrats.

“From what I have seen, there’s already been quite a concentrated effort on outreach to Democratic voters to come and speak against redistricting at this point in the decade,” Cross said.

Saturday’s hearing will focus on 10 congressional districts that sit wholly or partly in Houston and its surrounding counties. Among them are Districts 2 (Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R), 7 (Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D), 8 (Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R), 9 (Rep. Al Green, D), 14 (Rep. Randy Weber, R), 18 (vacant), 22 (Rep. Troy Nehls, R), 29 (Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D), 36 (Rep. Brian Babin, R), and 38 (Rep. Wesley Hunt, R). However, the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting will hear testimony on all areas of the state.

President Donald Trump has said he expects the redistricting to enable Republicans to pick up a net five seats in the 2026 midterm elections. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has flagged four seats specifically as “unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.” These include three seats in the Houston area – congressional districts 9, 18, and 29, all of which have majority nonwhite populations, and which are or previously have been represented by Black or Hispanic Democrats. The fourth seat named in the DOJ letter, Dallas-Fort Worth’s 33rd Congressional District, is represented by Congressman Marc Veasey, a Black Democrat.

Cross said she expects the mid-decade redistricting will sow confusion and depress turnout among voters, particularly in the 18th Congressional District, which has been without a representative since the death of Democratic Congressman Sylvester Turner in March. That said, she does not expect it to dramatically change the Houston area’s partisan breakdown in representation.

“Because of our population, particularly the diversity of our population here in the Houston region, I think it’s going to be really hard for Republicans to gain too much out of the Houston area,” Cross said. “They might be able to gain one [seat], but you know, if they go too much further than one in this area, it’s going to threaten incumbents such as Troy Nehls or Wesley Hunt.”

Cross and Rottinghaus agree that the Houston Democrat most at risk in the redistricting process is not one of those whose district the DOJ letter named as problematic, but rather Rep. Lizzie Fletcher’s 7th Congressional District, which is bordered by Troy Nehls in District 22 and Wesley Hunt in District 38.

“There’s just, I think, more opportunities to bring Republicans into that particular district, then there might be say with the 29th [represented by Sylvia Garcia],” Cross said.

Cross said that Republicans’ best chance for a pickup anywhere in the state is not in Houston but in the Rio Grande Valley, specifically Congressional District 28, represented by Congressman Henry Cuellar, generally viewed as the most conservative Democrat in the Texas congressional delegation.

“There are plenty of Democrats that wouldn’t even consider him a Democrat,” Cross said.

There’s a risk that trying to pick up as many seats as President Trump wants could backfire on Texas Republicans.

“If lawmakers want to squeeze more Republican districts out of Texas, they’re going to have to make some of those [existing Republican] districts swing districts, which means taking support from current Republican districts and putting them into the new perspective Republican districts,” Rottinghaus said. “That’s going to bleed support from incumbents who are worried that they’re not going to get the same level of intense Republican support that they once had.”

When Republicans last pushed through a mid-decade round of redistricting, under then-U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in 2003, it was on the theory that Democrats then had greater representation in the Texas delegation than warranted by the partisan breakdown of Texas voters. Cross said that is far from the case today.

“If, for whatever reasons, Republicans are successful in adding these five Republicans seats, we’ll end up with 80% of the congressional seats being Republican,” Cross said. “This state doesn’t go 80% Republican.”

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting heard public testimony at the Capitol Thursday about a proposed mid-decade redistricting plan.

The legislature is considering how to redraw the state’s congressional maps after pressure from the Trump administration and its Department of Justice. President Donald Trump has publicly said he hopes Texas Republicans draw five new seats for themselves ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The committee allowed anyone from the public to testify at Thursday’s hearing, but the hearing specifically focused on counties, which reside partially or wholly, in the 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 31st, 34th, 35th and 37th congressional districts — eight of which are represented by Republicans, six by Democrats. The committee still allowed testimony about any area of the state.

Witnesses who testified before the committee expressed anger and frustration with the potential of redrawing congressional maps. The Republican representatives on the committee were mostly quiet about their opinions, refraining from defending the proposed redistricting.

Legal expert challenged DOJ claims

Law professor Ellen Katz from the University of Michigan testified that the Department of Justice’s July 7 letter demanding changes to four congressional districts is legally flawed.

“The DOJ is simply wrong when it states that these four districts targets violate the voting rights act. Or the constitution they plainly do not,” Katz said, referring to districts 9, 18, 29 and 33.

Katz argued that following the DOJ’s recommendations would actually be illegal, citing a 2009 Supreme Court decision in Bartlett v. Strickland.

“If there were a showing that a state intentionally drew district lines in order to destroy otherwise effective crossover districts, that would raise serious questions under both the 14th and 15th amendment,” she said, reading from the court decision. “The July 7th DOJ letter instructs Texas to do just that.”

Congressional Democrats oppose redistricting

Three Democratic members of Congress testified against the redistricting effort, arguing it would harm minority communities and disrupt constituent services.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, emphasized his district’s legal standing.

“Texas’s 35th congressional district was drawn by this body coming after the 2010 census,” Casar said. “It was constitutionally mandated to be drawn and it was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

U.S Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, whose 29th congressional district is targeted in the DOJ letter, criticized the timing of the redistricting effort.

“We really should not be even be here today. We should be working on legislation to support families on the Hill Country after the devastating flooding,” Garcia said. “Instead, we are here today playing political games to appease a felon in the White House.”

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, compared the current effort to 2003 mid-decade redistricting carried out by Texas Republicans, calling it politically motivated.

“You’re being used because [Trump] doesn’t want Democrats to control the majority of the Congress so that there’ll be no investigations,” Castro said.

House Democrats question the process

Committee members expressed confusion about the rationale for the redistricting effort. State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, said he was “personally very confused about why exactly we’re here.”

State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, D-San Antonio, also voiced opposition.

“Let’s not allow the White House to put his arms into Texas and divide our community. It’s wrong. It should not happen,” Gervin-Hawkins said.

Fiscal and practical concerns

The congressmen highlighted potential disruptions to constituent services if districts are redrawn mid-decade.

“For the everyday person, this could seriously disrupt the federal services, be they constituent services or infrastructure that every member of Congress, regardless of party,” Casar said.

Garcia emphasized the communication challenges that could come from less compact, spread out districts.

“It really is about communication and case work,” Garcia said. “It is more difficult when you’ve got to deal with hundreds of miles to be able to communicate with appropriately and effectively with your constituents.”

She also criticized the Senate’s plan for hearings only conducted virtually, as opposed to the House’s hearings which are in person with a virtual option.

“I absolutely, I think, when I read that I was frankly appalled that they would not allow any live testimony hearing in front someone,” Garcia said. “I mean for Texas, we like to see people eyeball to eyeball and ask him a question.”

The hearing began at 2 p.m. in Capitol hearing room E1.030, and is allowed to last up to a total of five hours. Witnesses were given two minutes to speak. The committee will hold additional hearings Saturday in Houston and Monday in Arlington before considering any proposed legislation.