He's suing the state under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans voting discrimination on the basis of color.
Critics of the Voting Rights Act argue that voting discrimination is an idea of the past, primarily because we elected the first black President of the United States of America.
According to the center: "Although progress has been made since the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, voting discrimination still persists.
Texas is covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act for its history of voting discrimination.
The Legislature's plan has not gone into effect because Texas, as a state covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act for its history of voting discrimination, must have its plan precleared by the Justice Department or by a district court in the District of Columbia.
The Supreme Court in 2013 struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act that placed states with a history of voting discrimination under Department of Justice oversight.
In that decision, Shelby County v. Holder, the Court struck down a provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, effectively allowing certain jurisdictions with histories of voting discrimination to overhaul their laws without federal oversight.
The Voting Rights Act provision required states and localities with a history of voting discrimination to get federal permission to change their voting laws.
But, as the supreme court recognised, voting discrimination still exists".
