How the Texas redistricting lawsuit outlived a voter who sued
The six-year battle over the state’s redistricting plan illustrates how a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling four years ago has shifted the burden in challenges of such laws. Full Story
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Alexa Ura
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Alexa Ura reported for The Texas Tribune from 2013 to 2023. She covered the complex dynamics of race, ethnicity, wealth, poverty and power and how they are shaping the future of Texas and Texans, in the long and short term. Alexa started at the Tribune as a reporting intern before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin and joining the staff full time. Originally from Laredo on the Texas-Mexico border, she is a native Spanish speaker and is based in Austin.
Past Contributions
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![Jose Garza, an attorney for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, and former Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer speak to reporters on April 27, 2017, following a status conference on a years-long challenge to Texas' political maps.]()
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Pasadena drops appeal, will remain under federal oversight of election laws
Following a Pasadena City Council vote to settle a voting rights lawsuit over how it redrew its council districts in 2013, the city will remain under federal oversight for any changes to its voting laws until 2023 — the only setup of its kind in Texas. Full Story
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![A strip mall on the north side of Pasadena, Texas, on July 1, 2017. The Houston suburb is under federal oversight for any changes to its voting laws until 2023 — the only setup of its kind in Texas.]()
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Houston looks to Supreme Court to resolve same-sex marriage benefits fight
The city of Houston is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision by the Texas Supreme Court in which it suggested a landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage does not fully address the right to marriage benefits. Full Story
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![Pamela Holwerds holds up her marriage license following the ceremony that married over 40 same-sex couples on the south lawn of the Texas Capitol in Austin on July 4, 2015.]()
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Principals aren’t registering high schoolers to vote. Texas is turning to superintendents.
Thirty-four years ago, the Texas Legislature enacted a novel law requiring high school principals to register eligible students to vote. But many aren’t complying, and voter participation remains chronically low. Full Story
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![Voters lined up at the Austin Community College Highland Campus in Austin for the first day of early voting on Oct. 24, 2016.]()
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Incomes continue to rise, but Texans of color still seeing a gap
Texas experienced modest economic improvement in 2016, according to new census estimates. But income inequality remains pervasive in the state. Full Story
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Supreme Court puts redrawing of Texas political maps on hold
In separate orders issued Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked two lower court rulings that invalidated parts of the state's congressional and House maps where lawmakers were found to have discriminated against voters of color, putting on hold efforts to redraw those maps. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017.]()
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Here's a look at where things stand in Texas redistricting court battle
With the clock ticking toward the 2018 elections, here's a status update on Texas' long-winding redistricting court battle. Full Story
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For low-income Texans, a tougher road to recovery after Hurricane Harvey
There’s no doubt the lives of tens of thousands of Texans have been upended by Hurricane Harvey, but it's low-income Texans who will face a tougher road to recovery. Full Story
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![Tesa Rutherford, 21, and her fiancé Brandon Olivarez, 22, recently moved to Rockport, Texas, where they lost everything to Hurricane Harvey. They took shelter at the Wilhemina Delco Center emergency hurricane shelter in Austin on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. The optimistic couple plans on going back to Rockport to rebuild their lives and their home.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocks ruling against Texas House map
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily put on hold a lower court ruling that invalidated nine of Texas' 150 House seats. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocks ruling against Texas congressional map
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily put on hold a lower court ruling that invalidated two of Texas' 36 congressional districts. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman