Court won't block new Texas map
By ALEX ISENSTADT | 11/25/11 7:55 PM EST
A federal court has turned down a GOP-led effort to thwart a proposed new Texas congressional map, a decision that will send the state’s line-drawing process to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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The court-proposed map positions Democrats to gain as many as three congressional seats in Texas, dealing a sharp blow to Republicans who had hoped the state would help solidify their new majority.
Under the plan, Democrats could capture three of the four new seats Texas is gaining in the current round of reapportionment, and would be positioned to compete against one of the state’s freshman Republicans, Rep. Quico Canseco, whose southwestern Texas district would become considerably less GOP-friendly.
The Justice Department, along with several minority groups, instigated legal action earlier this year, alleging that the GOP blueprint dilutes minority voting strength.
The court-drafted map is a devastating reversal for Republicans, whose map would have positioned the GOP to win three of the state’s new seats and would have allowed each of the party’s 23 incumbents to run in safe districts.
“This is a big win for Democrats and minority groups in Texas,” said Matt Angle, director of the Texas Justice Fund, which helped craft the legal strategy combating the GOP plan.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69114.html#ixzz1ezvxOBeS
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