Voters drop Commissioners Court redistricting lawsuit against Tarrant County
A group of eight Black and Latino voters dropped their lawsuit Monday against Tarrant County over the June redistricting that will likely result in the Republicans gaining a seat on the Commissioners Court.
The plaintiffs asked a federal judge to dismiss their lawsuit after an appellate court denied the group’s request for a preliminary injunction of the redrawn Commissioners Court precinct map.
The lead attorney for the plaintiffs, Chad Dunn, of Austin-based Brazil & Dunn, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit against the county, the Commissioners Court and County Judge Tim O’Hare claimed the new map disenfranchised minority voters. The “racially discriminatory” map “surgically moves minority voters” into new precincts in a way that “unlawfully dilutes” their voting power, the lawsuit states.
Each of the voters who filed the lawsuit were moved into new precincts where the commissioners are not up for reelection.
Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare, Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez and Democrat Commissioner Alisa Simmons have all announced intent to run for reelection in 2026.
Precinct 2, represented by Simmons, will likely be won by a Republican based on the new map. Minutes after the new map was approved, Republican state Rep. Tony Tinderholt of Arlington announced he would run for the seat.
O’Hare said in a statement he was pleased to see the plaintiffs drop the lawsuit and that the claims lacked legal and factual merit. The filing on Monday confirmed that, he said.
“I welcome the plaintiffs’ decision to dismiss their own case,” O’Hare said in the statement. “The Commissioners Court’s action to redistrict was constitutional from the outset and remains so. With today’s legal development, Tarrant County will continue to stand as the best place to live and run a business in America.”
Republican Commissioner Matt Krause said the outcome was highly predictable.
“In fact, I said repeatedly in Court this lawsuit had zero merit and zero chance of success,” Krause said in a post on X. “This Democrat law firm wasted taxpayer funds by filing such an obviously meritless lawsuit. Maybe they should refund the taxpayers for having to defend it?”
The county commissioners voted to use part of the county budget to pay for Virginia-based law group Public Interest Legal Foundation to represent the defendants.
In June, a spokesperson for the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said, “We’ve seen a copy of the lawsuit. Generally, this office represents the county in litigation matters.”
Public Interest Legal Foundation is the same firm that presented the maps to the commissioners that resulted in two lawsuits. The second lawsuit was filed in a Tarrant County District Court by the Texas Civil Rights Project on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Tarrant County and a Fort Worth chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. The complaint argues the mid-decade redistricting illegally reduced the voting power of Black and Latino residents in the county.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 1:26 PM.