Judge dismisses lawsuit over Tarrant Commissioners Court redistricting
A district judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Tarrant County over the new Commissioners Court’s precinct map.
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 argued that the map illegally diminished the voting power of Black and Latino voters.
The lawsuit, filed in Tarrant County, aimed to throw out the new map and defer to the one that had been in place since 2011.
Judge Megan Fahey dismissed the lawsuit in the 348th District Court, siding with defendants Tarrant County, the Commissioners Court and County Judge Tim O’Hare. The ruling can be appealed, though the plaintiffs’ law firm did not say whether they would.
“But, even if it is appealed, I would expect the ruling to be upheld,” Republican Commissioner Matt Krause said in a post on X. “Another very positive development and another blow to those who gaslighted hundreds throughout the redistricting process.”
Fahey had previously denied a bid for an injunction blocking the map. The Commissioners Court seats held by Democrat Alisa Simmons and Republicans Manny Ramirez and O’Hare will be up for grabs in the Nov. 3 general election.
The new map was presented to the court shortly before Republican commissioners voted to approve it in June. The redistricting is likely to flip Simmons’s seat to a Republican.
On Monday, a group of eight Black and Latino Tarrant County voters dropped their federal lawsuit against the county.
One of the plaintiffs, Alberto Govea, president of LULAC Council 4568, said he is concerned about the ability to receive justice in Tarrant County.
“This illegal redistricting scheme is an attack on our communities’ ability to vote for representatives that know and understand our needs,” Govea said. “This decision must be challenged both in the courts and streets. This is not party politics. This denies people their right to equal representation.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 12:48 PM.