TEXAS TWO-STEP

Federal Court Rules Texas State House Maps Are Intentionally Discriminatory

Declares discriminatory practices from 2011 maps carried over into 2013 ones.

A federal court in San Antonio ruled late Thursday for the second time that portions of Texas’ state House maps are intentionally discriminatory and need to be redrawn. “In its ruling, the court said the intentional discrimination from 2011 carried over into parts of the 2013 maps,” The Dallas Morning News reported. “The ruling will affect five districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: state House Districts 103, 104, and 105 in Dallas County and Districts 90 and 93 in Tarrant County.” This is the third election-related defeat in just over a week for Texas officials: Last week, a court ruled the state’s 2013 redrawn congressional maps to be discriminatory; and on Wednesday, a federal judge rejected a revised voter-ID law. The state plans to appeal all three rulings.