Texas is appealing a federal court decision that denied preclearance to legislatively drawn redistricting maps, saying the court overstepped its authority under the federal Voting Rights Act, Attorney General Greg Abbott announced late Friday.

That appeal won't affect the current election.

The maps for congressional and legislative races were drawn last year by the Legislature. Federal law allows the state to go to either the Department of Justice or the federal courts for permission to use the maps in elections — that's a legal provision that applies only to Texas and other states with a history of racial discrimination ...

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