A federal court overseeing a Texas redistricting lawsuit rejected a proposal presented Monday, saying the plan did not have the support of all parties involved, a requirement outlined in an earlier order. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday announced that a compromise plan had been reached, saying that one coalition of Latino groups had signed off on redistricting maps for the 2012 election that would give Hispanics two of the state’s four new congressional districts. But the Texas Democratic Party and other groups suing the state rejected the proposal, arguing that the deal still shortchanges minority voters.
Federal judges had ordered the sides to come up with a set of maps by Monday or face the possibility that the April 3 primary would be delayed. The court rejected the deal in a one-paragraph order released late Monday and urged the groups to keep negotiating until they reach a deal that all the parties can support.
Earlier Monday, Abbott sounded a note of optimism, hoping the court would be willing to accept the limited deal. “Even though we don’t reach complete agreement with all the parties, we believe the agreement reached is substantial enough to move swiftly to finalize the maps in time for April elections,” Abbott told reporters in a conference call. However, he suggested the primaries might have to be delayed until April 17.
Full Article: AG, key minority groups reach deal – San Antonio Express-News.