A panel of three federal judges have blocked a redistricting plan in Texas. The Justice Department had said last year that the redistricting plan, signed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), was passed with the purpose of discriminating against Latino voters. From the opinion:
The latest Census reports that since 2000 the population of Texas grew by over four million. This dramatic increase required the Texas legislature to create new voting districts for the four seats added to the State’s congressional delegation, U.S. CONST. art. I, § 2, cl. 3; id. amend. XIV, § 2, and draw new boundaries for the state and congressional voting districts to comply with the mandate of one-person, one-vote, see Georgia v. Ashcroft, 539 U.S. 461,
488 n.2 (2003). […]We conclude that Texas has failed to show that any of the redistricting plans merits preclearance.
More to come.