AUSTIN (AP) — A federal court ruled Wednesday that Texas can change voting maps without supervision despite "grave concerns" and findings that Republicans used racial gerrymandering while trying to strengthen their majorities in Congress and the state Legislature.
The decision is key ahead of the 2020 census, and for Democrats instantly became a new rallying cry for next year's elections, when control of the Texas House is at stake and with it the power to influence new voting maps for the next decade.
Although the ruling is a win for Texas Republicans, the three-judge panel in San Antonio expressed doubts about the state's ability to redraw maps in a fair way. Hispanic growth is driving Texas' booming population, and recent census figures show Texas added nearly nine new Hispanic residents for every white resident in 2018.
