The US Supreme Court will settle the nearly decade-old debate over whether the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature redrew the state's Congressional and State Senate districts to favor Republican candidates, which is legal, or to disadvantage minority voters, which isn't, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
With the American voter descending more and more into tribalism, with Anglo voters leaning strongly Republican and Black and Hispanic voters leaning strongly Democrat,the court will have to study the 'intent' of the lawmakers.
This issue dates back to 2013, when Texas Democrats filed the first of several lawsuits, charging that Republicans used 2010 Census data to draw districts which marginalized minority voters.. All population-based political districts must be redrawn after every Census to mae sure they contain roughly equal numbers of voters.
Democrats accused Republicans of engaging in 'packing and cracking' to disadvantage minority voters.. 'Packing' is drawing serpentine-like districts to connect disparate minority communities into one district, denying minority voters the ability to hold a majority it multiple districts.. Often cited is the district now Represented by Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett, which snakes from heavily minority east Austin to heavily minority east San Antonio, narrowing to literally the width of I-35 in some places to exclude heavily Anglo areas in San Marcos and New Braunfels.. This allows the district represented by retiring Republican Lamar Smith to include those Republican voters and 'cracking' the overwhelmingly Democrat area around the University of Texas so it can make up a small part of several Republican dominated districts, rather than one overwhelmingly Democrat one.
It is unclear whether the High Court will have a ruling before the March 2 primaries, which means it is conceivable that candidates may have to campaign in one district for the primary, and in a completely redrawn district in the generalelection in November.
And then the 2020 Census rolls around, no doubt sparing another decade of gerrymandering battles.