Last year, federal judges ruled that when Texas lawmakers redrew the 27th Congressional District in 2011, they did so in a way that diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a redistricting case that includes CD-27, take a closer look at what’s at issue in the district.
Lock the Vote
This is an occasional series about how Texas leaders choose their voters — using gerrymandering and voter ID laws — as courts repeatedly scold them for disproportionately burdening voters of color.
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Lock the Vote
Long-winding Texas voting rights litigation spotlights Gov. Greg Abbott’s role
As Texas risks a return to federal oversight of its election laws, Gov. Greg Abbott could face increased scrutiny of his role in advising on and defending redistricting maps and a voter ID law that could ultimately be struck down as discriminatory.
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Lock the Vote
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.
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Lock the Vote
Puzzling shapes: Travel across this gerrymandered Texas district
As part of our Lock The Vote series, we examine a key piece of Republicans’ 2011 redistricting strategy, which courts said discriminated against minorities: U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s curiously-shaped 35th Congressional District.
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Lock the Vote
Voting rights battle in Pasadena could have Texas-wide legal ramifications
The outcome of a voting rights fight over Pasadena Hispanics’ right to choose their city council members could reverberate beyond the city limits of this Houston suburb.
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Lock the Vote
As court scoldings pile up, will Texas face a voting rights reckoning?
A barrage of court rulings has forced Texas leaders to confront whether they strayed too far in enacting voting laws found to have disproportionately burdened minorities.