A San Antonio federal judge Thursday blocked Texas from implementing new GOP-friendly redistricting maps for the state Legislature and U.S. Congress, quickly setting off a new wave of partisan finger-pointing over the politically charged issue.The court order signed by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia, one of three federal judges hearing legal challenges to how parts of the redistricting process, prevents the new maps from being implemented until the court decides otherwise.
The order notes that the maps have not been approved as yet under a section of the U.S. Voting Rights Act by the U.S. Department of Justice, as required. A separate lawsuit over that approval is pending in a Washington, D.C. federal court.
"According to the Texas Election Code, any changes that must be made in the county election precinct boundaries 'to give effect to a redistricting plan' must be finalized by October 1, 2011," the judges wrote. "Because the redistricting plans have not been precleared ... all persons or entities that would otherwise have a duty under Section 42.032 of the Texas Election Code are relieved of those duties until further order of the Court."
The orders similarly relieved county election officials of their duty to issue voter-registration certificates because "county election precinct boundaries will not be finalized."
Texas sued the Obama administration in July seeking so-called pre-clearance for the state's new maps under the Voting Rights Act, a step required of all states with a history of voting-rights violations. Perry, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, signed the bill with the election map created in June by Texas lawmakers.
The majority-Republican Legislature redrew electoral maps after the state grew enough to gain four seats in Congress, adding almost 4.3 million residents since 2000, according to the 2010 census.