Daily Dispatch 11/20/25: GOP Fails To Clear Racist Map As Dissenting Judge Melts Down, And More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The national redistricting arms race that Texas Republicans helped Donald Trump start is not going their way at the moment: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/19/texas-redistricting-map-california-national-arms-race/...Prop 50 in California was proposed as contingent on Texas going through with redistricting, not a failure to pass legal muster - thus, it's still in play: https://abc7.com/post/prop-50-impacted-judges-block-texas-using-new-house-map-expert-says/18175003/...On the 2021 map, Texas Republicans were faced with sticking with their own arguments or adopting Trump's deeply flawed narrative - they went with Trump, of course: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2025/11/20/texas-republicans-own-words-backfired-on-them-in-gerrymandering-ruling/...Prop 50 doesn't have the same legal frailty as the Texas map, as their voters were asked to vote for it to oppose Trump's power grab, which is 100% political: https://prospect.org/2025/11/20/texas-said-wrong-magic-words-rigging-their-maps/...Judge Jeff Brown's call comes from a guy with deep ties to Trump, Abbott, Rick Perry and more: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/redistrict-gerrymander-texas-judge-jeff-brown-21195989.php...Brown is no liberal - his rulings on same sex marriage and reproductive rights are offensive to progressives - but in this case, he couldn't ignore the flimsy case of the GOP: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/19/texas-redistricting-ruling-judge-jeffrey-brown-republican-attacks/...Meanwhile dissenting Judge Jerry Smith is attacking Brown and the map's opponents as lackeys of George Soros and Gavin Newsom in a highly partisan and unprofessional opinion: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/19/texas-redistricting-case-dissent-00660625?ICID=ref_fark&utm_content=link&utm_medium=website&utm_source=fark...Read Smith's rant here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txwd.1150387/gov.uscourts.txwd.1150387.1439.0.pdf We're excited to see YOU at one (or both!) of our 2025 Holiday Parties this December in Austin and Dallas - for the first time, featuring live podcast tapings! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.