Joe.My.God. LGBT News
NBC News reports:
Federal judges found more problems in Texas’ voting rights laws, ruling that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the growing electoral power of minorities, who former President Barack Obama set out to protect at the ballot box before leaving office.
The ruling late Friday by a three-judge panel in San Antonio gave Democrats hope of new, more favorably drawn maps that could turnover more seats in Congress in 2018. But the judges in their 2-1 decision didn’t propose an immediate fix, and Texas could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judges noted the “strong racial tension and heated debate about Latinos, Spanish-speaking people, undocumented immigrants and sanctuary cities” that served as the backdrop in the Legislature to Texas adopting the maps and the voter ID law. Those tensions are flaring again over President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration, and Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is also demanding tough crackdowns on so-called sanctuary cities.
More from The Hill:
The two judges who ruled for the plaintiffs found Republicans repeatedly tried to dilute the political power of Latino voters — either packing them into one specific district, or dividing communities between separate districts, a process called “cracking.”
“The Court finds that this evidence persuasively demonstrates that mapdrawers intentionally packed and cracked on the basis of race … with the intent to dilute minority voting strength,” Judges Xavier Rodriguez and Orlando Garcia wrote. Texas Democrats called the ruling a victory for voting rights.
“The San Antonio Federal District Court ruled that Texas Republicans intentionally discriminated against Texas’ diverse new majority,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, the state Democratic Party chairman. “Republicans have ensured that the dark days of discrimination in Texas continue to loom, but the sun will soon shine. In time, justice prevails.”