Judge Says No to Texas Redistricting Agreement
Last night Federal Judge Orlando Garcia said there is not enough support for Attorney General Greg Abbot’s proposed agreement with some of the minority groups involved in the redistricting lawsuit to adopt the compromise maps. He asked the groups to keep talking.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund was among the parties supporting the interim map proposal. But the Mexican American Legislative Caucus said it falls short of recognizing minority growth in Texas.
The controversy over the redistricting maps stems from the the 2010 Census that showed Texas grew by four million people, largely from the Hispanic and African-American communities. Minority civil rights organizations argue the redistricting maps drawn by the Texas Legislature ignored those increases, and diluted minority voter power.
A San Antonio three-judge federal panel has said that if an agreement could not be made by yesterday, Texas’ April 3rd primary would be delayed. The primary has already been delayed from March 6th.
