Court halts Texas redistricting plan

by Ginger Gibson
Politico

A federal court put the brakes on a Republican-drawn congressional map Tuesday, potentially costing the GOP House seats in next year’s election.

Because the D.C. District Court on Tuesday refused to sign off on the newest map, which was drawn by a Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry, the plan won’t be approved in time for the November filing period, said Matt Angle, a Texas Democratic strategist who has been advocating against the plan.

In a ruling by a three-judge panel, the court found Texas used “an improper standard or methodology” to determine districts that would represent minorities. The ruling applied to maps for congressional and state House seats.

(More here.)