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DOJ backs Texas in Supreme Court fight over Republican-drawn map

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DOJ backs Texas in Supreme Court fight over Republican-drawn map

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The Department of Justice threw its support behind Texas on Monday, arguing the new map the state’s Republican-led legislature approved was not an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

Solicitor General John Sauer, who represents the Trump administration, wrote in an amicus brief that a lower court’s decision to block the map through the 2026 midterms was wrong and that the Supreme Court should intervene and reverse the decision.

“This is not a close case,” Sauer wrote.

TEXAS FILES EMERGENCY SUPREME COURT PETITION AFTER TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGES

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D. John Sauer, Trump’s former attorney, will serve as U.S. solicitor general in the Trump administration. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sauer said the lower court misunderstood what drove the Texas legislature to shift five districts in favor of Republicans. He said the move was not based on race, which could violate federal voting laws and the Constitution.

“There is overwhelming evidence — both direct and circumstantial — of partisan objectives, and any inference that the State inexplicably chose to use racial means is implausible,” Sauer wrote.

Sauer also defended a letter Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon wrote to Texas this year demanding that it address “coalition districts” that favor Democrats, which the challengers to the map have seized on as evidence of race-based motives. Days after the letter, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, added redistricting to the legislature’s agenda, leading to a stunning boycott in which state Democrats temporarily fled the state.

The lower court “misinterpreted the letter’s meaning; and more importantly, the court misunderstood the letter’s significance to the legislature’s adoption of the 2025 map,” Sauer said.

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The plaintiffs in the case, who include numerous voting and immigrant rights groups, argued that Dhillon’s letter demanded dismantling the coalition districts and packing Black and Latino voters into other districts.

“The DOJ letter, riddled with legal and factual errors, incorrectly asserted that these districts were ‘unconstitutional coalition districts’ that Texas was required to ‘rectify’ by changing their racial makeup,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote.

REAGAN-APPOINTED JUDGE TORCHES COLLEAGUES IN TEXAS MAP FIGHT

Sen. Phil King displays a map during a Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting public testimony hearing on Aug. 7, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Texas’ mid-cycle redistricting dispute is one of several that have cropped up across the country as President Donald Trump stares down the possibility of losing an acquiescent Republican-led House in 2026. California voted in favor of an eleventh-hour ballot measure that would cancel out the five Republican gains in Texas. Utah’s map has changed in favor of Democrats, Virginia has taken steps to redraw its map and Louisiana’s is pending before the Supreme Court.

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The DOJ recently sued Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, over California’s redistricting efforts, arguing that unlike in Texas, those were unconstitutionally race-based.

Texas has asked the Supreme Court to pause the three-judge panel’s ruling in the Western District of Texas that found 2-1 last week that race was too much of a factor in its redraw. 

“This summer, the Texas Legislature did what legislatures do: politics,” Texas’ attorneys argued in their request, disputing all notions that the redistricting process used race as a factor.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is seen on Nov. 14, 2025 in Midlothian, Texas.  (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

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In a lengthy and wild tirade, Judge Jerry Brown, a Reagan appointee and the lone dissenter, called the three-judge panel’s decision the “most blatant exercise of judicial activism” he had ever seen and a work of “fiction.”

Justice Samuel Alito has administratively paused the panel’s ruling, but the Supreme Court could now make a more lasting decision on the map at any time. Texas lawyers have also argued the high court should block the panel’s decision because it interfered with the 2026 midterms, for which candidates were already filing to run based on the new map.

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Tesla dealership arsonist learns prison sentence after pleading guilty in Cybertruck torching

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Tesla dealership arsonist learns prison sentence after pleading guilty in Cybertruck torching

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The individual who pleaded guilty to Tesla-related arson has been slapped with a five-year prison sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Ian William Moses, who pleaded guilty last year, was sentenced on Tuesday “by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 60 months of imprisonment, the mandatory minimum, followed by 36 months of supervised release,” the release notes.

“According to court documents, surveillance cameras showed Moses was at the Tesla dealership in Mesa shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday, April 28, 2025, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, tan ballcap, grey pants, black boots, and a black mask. He also carried a red plastic gas can and a black backpack. While in the Tesla dealership parking lot, Moses was captured on video as he placed fire starter logs next to the dealership building. Moses then poured gasoline onto the starter logs, the building and three Tesla vehicles,” the press release explains. 

TESLA ARSON SUSPECT ARRESTED IN ARIZONA AFTER FIERY ASSAULT ON CYBERTRUCK

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“At around 1:38 a.m., Moses ignited the starter logs, causing a fire that destroyed a silver Tesla Cybertruck. Video shows Moses leaving the dealership on a dark colored bicycle shortly thereafter,” the release notes.

There was a spate of anti-Tesla vandalism last year, stemming from backlash to billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his high-profile alliance with President Donald Trump.

LAS VEGAS POLICE ROLL OUT TESLA CYBERTRUCKS WORTH UP TO $115K EACH AFTER DONATION FROM TECH BILLIONAIRE

Damaged Cybertruck seen in aerial footage. (KSAZ-TV)

“Arson can never be an acceptable part of American politics. Mr. Moses’ actions endangered the public and first responders and could have easily turned deadly,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in a statement.

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ELON MUSK TAKES DIG AT WAYMO AFTER SAN FRANCISCO BLACKOUT

The wall of the Tesla dealership is seen vandalized with the message “THEIF.” (KSAZ-TV)

“This five-year sentence reflects the gravity of these crimes and makes clear that politically fueled attacks on Arizona’s communities and businesses will be met with full accountability,” Courchaine noted.

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Arizona high school basketball player scores 100 points in just 3 quarters in historic outing

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Arizona high school basketball player scores 100 points in just 3 quarters in historic outing

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It’s hard to have a better night on the basketball court than Arizona high school basketball player Adrian Stubbs did on Tuesday.

Stubbs, a guard at Phoenix Maryvale High School, became the first player in Arizona high school basketball history to score 100 points in a game in the team’s 109-25 win over Yuma Kofa High School. Stubbs scored 100 points despite sitting on the bench for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

He scored 70 points in the first half, scoring every single point for Maryvale, and then scored 30 points in the third quarter. Stubbs scored 35 points in the first quarter and said that head coach Jeremy Smith gave him the green light.

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Maryvale guard Adrian Stubbs (1) dribbles against Marcos de Niza guard Drew Dana (2) during a Section 7 play-in game in Glendale, Arizona, on June 18, 2024. (IMAGN)

“I think I had 35 at the end of the first quarter and my coach gave me the green light,” Stubbs said, according to The Arizona Republic. “I was going to go. That was probably the most unselfish game (from teammates) I’ve ever seen in my life. Without them, this would not be possible. All of those passes. All the steals. It’s a huge shout out to them.”

The previous state record of 75 points in a game had stood since 1965-66 1A season (1A designates a classification for smaller schools), which Stubbs shattered. His previous career high was 56, which was one shy of the 6A record (the classification for the largest schools).

3 PRO BOWL PLAYERS NAMED FINALISTS FOR NFL’S SALUTE TO SERVICE AWARD

Maryvale guard Adrian Stubbs (1) shoots against Marcos de Niza forward James Steward (4) during a Section 7 play-in game in Glendale, Arizona, on June 18, 2024. (IMAGN)

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The previous 6A record was set by Nico Mannion, who went on to star for the Arizona Wildcats before being drafted by the Golden State Warriors.

“This kid doesn’t cease to amaze me,” Maryvale coach Jeremy Smith said. “His will to win and fight and grit are second to none. He’s got a lot of people backing him, wanting the best for him. He’s a gamer. Before the season started, we had team goals. And we have individual goals. One of his individual goals was to beat Nico Mannion’s record of 57.”

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Maryvale guard Adrian Stubbs talks with the Arizona Republic during practice at Maryvale High School in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 8, 2025. (IMAGN)

Stubbs entered the game averaging 24 points per game, and was very efficient on Tuesday. He did a lot of scoring on mid-range jumpers, as he scored just 18 of his 100 points on 3-pointers, while going 16-for-23 from the free throw line.

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WATCH: ICE takes down illegal alien who allegedly rammed law enforcement vehicles, nearly running over officer

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WATCH: ICE takes down illegal alien who allegedly rammed law enforcement vehicles, nearly running over officer

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal immigrant who the agency said “weaponized” his vehicle by ramming two ICE vehicles, nearly running over an agent.

Cuban illegal Robyn Argote Brooks rammed two ICE cars in a San Antonio parking lot in an attempt to evade arrest during a targeted vehicle stop, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Video captured of the incident shows Brooks, who is driving a sedan and is boxed in by agents’ vehicles, defying law enforcement directions and suddenly reversing, narrowly missing an agent and hitting a federal SUV. After unsuccessfully accelerating into the larger vehicle, Brooks then speeds into another ICE vehicle in front of him, a sedan, and continues to accelerate as agents attempt to stop him.

Eventually, an agent breaks through Brooks’ window and pulls him out of the car to make the arrest. The incident occurred Tuesday and comes amid heightened concern about illegals and anti-ICE agitators violently attempting to disrupt federal law enforcement operations.

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THREE VENEZUELAN ILLEGALS ARRESTED AFTER ICE OFFICER ‘AMBUSHED AND ATTACKED’ DURING TRAFFIC STOP: NOEM

Cuban illegal Robyn Argote Brooks rammed two ICE cars in a San Antonio parking lot in an attempt to evade arrest during a targeted vehicle stop, according to ICE. (ICE; DHS)

DHS said ICE officers are facing a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks. The agency said that, from Jan. 21, 2025, to Jan. 7, 2026, ICE officers experienced 66 “vehicular attacks,” compared to only two during the same time period the previous year.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said one of the ICE officers involved in the arrest was injured and said, “We are praying for him, his health and his family.”

She placed the blame squarely on pro-sanctuary politicians she said “have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest.”

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“They have created an environment that incites violence against our law enforcement,” said McLaughlin, adding that agents are also facing a “more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them.”

OFFICER INJURED AFTER SUSPECT RAMS LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES DURING CHARLOTTE IMMIGRATION RAIDS

Closeups of vehicle damage after a ramming incident involving illegal Robyn Argote Brooks, who DHS said attempted to evade arrest in San Antonio. (DHS)

“Secretary Noem has been clear: Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she warned.

According to the agency, Brooks entered the U.S. using the Biden administration’s CBP One app in 2024, which it said “allowed over a million unvetted aliens into the country.”

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Brooks is in ICE custody.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons argued Tuesday that federal immigration agents are facing “constant impediments” and “constant attacks.”

“When we hear elected officials calling upon individuals to impede or obstruct ICE law enforcement operations nationwide, you’re going to see incidents like this,” said Lyons. “You saw the officers and agents attempting to apprehend a criminally illegal alien, and there they are using their car as a weapon.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT INDICTED IN ASSAULT ON ICE AGENTS IN TEXAS

ICE agents make an arrest, left; DHS Asst. Sec. Tricia McLaughlin, right (Christopher Dilts/Getty Images; ‘Hannity’/Fox News)

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Lyons said one of the agents involved later went to a hospital with neck injuries.

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“Every day, this is what the men and women of ICE are facing,” he said. “It’s constant impediments, constant attacks like this. And it’s not safe for my folks, it’s not safe for the public. It really needs to stop.”

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

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