Texas Senate committee to vote on DOJ official subpoena

Senate Select Committee Considers Subpoena for DOJ Official

The nine-member Senate select committee on redistricting is set to vote on Wednesday regarding whether to subpoena an assistant attorney general to testify. This decision comes after the official, Harmeet K. Dhillon, authored a letter that has been cited as the reason Governor Greg Abbott placed redistricting on the agenda for a special session.

The letter, sent on July 7 and addressed to Governor Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, raised “serious concerns regarding the legality of four of Texas’s congressional districts.” These districts are currently represented by minority members of Congress. The concerns have sparked significant debate over the potential for racial gerrymandering in the current maps.

Concerns Raised by the DOJ Letter

Texas Democrats, including members of both select redistricting committees, are pushing for Dhillon to publicly testify about why the Department of Justice's Civil Rights division believes these districts were racially gerrymandered. Despite this, Texas Republicans have maintained that the current congressional maps were drawn without regard to race.

State Senator Carol Alvarado, a Democrat from Houston, emphasized the importance of Dhillon being able to defend the DOJ's position. She, along with Democratic state senators Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa and Borris Miles, is advocating for Dhillon to be subpoenaed.

A report from NBC 5 in Dallas revealed that Paxton’s office responded to the DOJ letter, disagreeing with the department’s interpretation of the congressional maps. Nexstar reached out to the state’s Attorney General office for further information, but a spokesperson provided a statement from Paxton instead.

Statement from the Attorney General

In the statement, Paxton expressed full support for Governor Abbott's call for a special session to conduct congressional redistricting. He also mentioned his office's readiness to support President Trump, Governor Abbott, and the Texas Legislature in their redistricting goals. The statement further indicated a commitment to defending any new maps passed against challenges from the radical Left.

Before public testimony began on Tuesday, Senate committee chair Phil King, a Republican from Weatherford, stated he did not agree with the DOJ’s interpretation of Texas’ map. He noted that while he does not believe the current map is discriminatory, he has not seen the underlying facts supporting the DOJ’s claims.

Efforts to Bring DOJ to Testify

King sent a formal invitation over the weekend to Dhillon to testify. House committee chair Cody Vasut, a Republican from Angleton, followed suit by sending another formal invitation on Sunday. Prior to the Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, King mentioned that his team was preparing a space in the Capitol for a formal meeting on Wednesday to vote on whether to subpoena Dhillon.

Alvarado stressed the importance of livestreaming and recording the hearing to ensure transparency. She highlighted the rarity and unprecedented nature of the situation, emphasizing the need for openness in the process.

Voting and Legal Considerations

To issue the subpoena, two-thirds of the committee must vote in favor. With only three Democratic members on the Senate committee, it remains unclear how the other six Republican senators will vote. Alvarado expressed hope that her colleagues would support the subpoena, noting that they might want to understand why they are convening during the summer for mid-decade redistricting.

King mentioned that his office is seeking legal counsel to determine if the legislative committee has the authority to compel a federal official or someone not based in Texas to testify. Despite this uncertainty, Alvarado believes the committee should proceed with the subpoena, allowing Dhillon or any other DOJ official the choice to testify at their discretion.

Currently, there is no new map under consideration in either redistricting committee.