After 20 years, Scott Hochberg is bailing out of the Texas Legislature. He’ll get back his nights and weekends. But he also won't be at the Capitol to help sort out education policy and financing. Full Story
In a late Friday afternoon order, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the use of court-drawn maps for legislative and congressional districts in Texas, telling the lawyers involved to be ready for oral arguments next month. Full Story
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Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Chris Chang
State Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria, won't seek re-election. The seven-term legislator told her hometown paper, the Victoria Advocate, that the court-drawn redistricting maps made another run difficult. Full Story
So far, 26 members of the Texas House have said they won't seek reelection — 27 if you count Rep. Fred Brown, R-Bryan, who resigned after the legislative session. The list could grow by next Thursday, the deadline for filing for the 2012 elections. And four more incumbents will lose their elections next year — to four incumbents. Full Story
In this episode of Weekend Insider, Tribune reporter Julian Aguilar discusses immigration and politics, and executive editor Ross Ramsey discusses talks about candidates looking to voters for a second chance. Full Story
Aaronson maps the growth of poverty in Texas, Aguilar on the suicide of an illegal immigrant, Galbraith on the prospect of more rolling blackouts, Grissom on a prosecutor's memory lapse, Hamilton on the prospect of public universities undergoing a sunset review, Murphy's latest awesome redistricting interactive, Ramsey on a stumbling start to the 2012 election season, Root on Rick Perry's latest populist tirade, M. Smith on the boom in for-profit teacher certification programs and Tan on the fight against cervical cancer in ... Africa: The best of our best content from November 28 to December 2, 2011. Full Story
Redistricting. It's a long process all about drawing lines that determine elections and which political party is in power in Texas. Months after the Legislature established its maps, it's still not clear who Texans will be voting for in next year's congressional and state House and Senate races. The Trib's Thanh Tan and Ross Ramsey explain why. Full Story
The Texas primaries will be held on March 6 next year, with runoffs more than two months later, on May 22. Maybe. If the federal courts decide redistricting maps should be redrawn before the voting starts, some of those primary contests could be moved to May. Full Story
This week on the TribCast, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben talk about the Perry campaign shake-up (or lack thereof), the disappearing incumbents of the Texas House and the business franchise tax. Full Story
We've updated our list of 2012 primary candidates, adding the latest filings to the major political parties. Candidates for Congress, the Texas House and Texas Senate are filing under political maps that are still the subject of federal court fights. Full Story
Pending any legal intervention, the three court-issued redistricting maps (House, Senate and Congress) and the State Board of Education map drawn up by the 82nd Legislature are now in effect. Use our interactive to see which district you live in now and who represents you. Full Story
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Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Ryan Murphy
Even if the U.S. Supreme Court decides not to intervene in the Texas redistricting controversy, the maps drawn by federal judges in San Antonio could be knocked down by another federal panel, Attorney General Greg Abbott told the Tribune on Monday. Full Story
The state's lawyers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop elections under court-ordered redistricting maps, arguing today that the federal judges who drew the maps improperly disregarded the wishes of the Legislature. Full Story
Credit:
Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Chris Chang
Monday's the day candidates can begin filing for office, and after a flurry of legal activity over the holidays, they now know what districts they're seeking to represent. Probably. Full Story
Root and Tan on the restoration of the Governor's Mansion and on the Perrys' expensive replacement digs, E. Smith's TribLive interview with three freshman legislators in El Paso, M. Smith on tough financial standards for local school districts, Ramshaw and Murphy on Texas docs paid by drug companies, yours truly on new congressional and legislative redistricting maps, Hamilton on the biggest competitive endeavor in Brownsville's schools and Aguilar on how border mayors feel about military equipment in their cities: The best of our best content from November 21 to 25, 2011. Full Story