A landmark trial to determine whether Dallas County discriminates against white voters began Monday in a lawsuit that foreshadows a potential turnabout in racial politics in Texas and the nation.

Lawyers for four plaintiffs began calling witnesses to try to prove that Dallas County commissioners approved 2011 boundaries that "intentionally" discriminated against white voters. The plaintiffs, led by Ann Harding, say white voters were "cracked" and then "packed" into one district. They are seeking protection under the Voting Rights Act and want new boundaries drawn that give white voters the chance to elect the candidate of their choice.

The case is believed to be the first in the country where white voters are suing to overturn a redistricting map under the Voting Rights Act.

Harding, the lead plaintiff in the suit, lives in a district represented by Democrat Elba Garcia.

"I just want districts that are fair," Harding said after her testimony, telling The Dallas Morning News that she would like to have the opportunity to vote for a moderate Republican.

But lawyers for the defendants, led by Chad Dunn of Houston and Gerry Hebert of Washington, D.C., insist that the county did not intentionally discriminate against white residents.

As Hispanics, blacks and other minorities close in on making America a country where minorities make up the majority, some whites are attempting to use civil rights laws to protect themselves from what they see as discrimination.

Dallas County, once dominated by white Republicans until demographic shifts paved the way for Democrats, is an ideal testing ground for such a case.

The lawsuit is being steered by a conservative group called the Equal Voting Rights Institute with the stated goal of protected the rights of all voters. Two of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, Dan Morenoff and Elizabeth Alvarez Bingham, are part of the institute.

County Judge Clay Jenkins has said the Commissioners Court does not discriminate against voters of any race, pointing out that while the county is mostly minority, three people on the five-member court are white.

"The Voting Rights Act was developed to ensure that groups that have been historically discriminated against would not have their voting rights abridged," Jenkins said. "Even if you extend it to that group, non-Hispanic Anglos are oversampled as a group."

The plaintiffs disagree.

Most of Monday's testimony featured Massachusetts demographer Peter Morrison, who told U. S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater that county commissioners "applied the classic mechanism of cracking and packing" white voters into areas to diminish their opportunity to select candidates of choice.

He said they unnecessarily split communities "with a single-minded purpose," hinting but not stating that the developers of the maps did so to intentionally discriminate against white voters.

"If one would switch the label from white to black, the maps in question that was enacted would be a clear violation of the Voting Rights Act," Morrison said.

From left, Eric Hall, chairman of the Equal Voting Rights Institute (EVRI) board of directors, Dan Morenoff, executive director of EVRI, plaintiff Holly Morse and Elizabeth Alvarez Bingham, director of EVRI, photographed at the Old Red Courthouse on Thursday, April 5, 2018, in Dallas. The group is bringing a lawsuit on behalf of five white residents against Dallas County for voting rights discrimination. They contend the county commission boundaries are drawn to hurt white voters. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

But under cross-examination from Dunn, Morrison conceded that he didn't examine the testimony of county residents and experts during the redistricting process, or the statements made by commissioners. Morrison also didn't take into account political outcomes from previous elections, telling Dunn that he was not a political scientist.

Dunn also pointed out that Morrison splits some communities in a map he developed that could have elected two conservatives to the court, and that the claims of dividing cities laid out in his testimony had not been verified.

"I suppose one day you'll verify it," Dunn said.

Redistricting experts say the plaintiffs will have a hard time prevailing over the county. The Voting Rights Act, in part, protects victims of historical and systemic discrimination. White voters don't fall in that class.

Morenoff said Monday that he can prove intentional discrimination by the county, but also that the boundaries have a "discriminatory effect."

Analysts say the plaintiffs may lose the case because it involves commissioners gerrymandering based on political parties, not white voters.

The trial is expected to last four days.