Plaintiffs in an ongoing court battle over Texas’ 2011 district maps have filed a joint motion calling for the federal judges considering the case to issue a ruling by next month. The plaintiffs — including the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force and the League of United Latin American Citizens — sued the state in 2011, claiming the maps adopted for state House, Senate and Texas congressional districts were unconstitutional and harm minority voters.
The new joint motion, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in San Antonio, describes drawn-out legal proceedings with little action from the court. If a decision in the case is not issued before Jan. 17, the motion says, plaintiffs will seek relief in an appellate court.
“If no order is issued in the coming weeks, then the plaintiff’s active claims concerning the 2013 case may be affected and an opportunity for final resolution before the 2018 election cycle will be jeopardized,” the motion reads. “Moreover, evidence may grow stale and become unavailable. … Votes are being cast. And the rights of millions of Texans hang in the balance.”
Full Article: Plaintiffs in Texas redistricting case ask federal district court to rule | Texas Politics | Dallas News.
