MALDEF STATEMENT ON FEDERAL COURT RULING ON TEXAS HOUSE REDISTRICTING PLAN

MALDEF

August 24, 2017

San Antonio, TX - A federal court today struck down portions of the current Texas redistricting plan for the State House of Representatives.

A three-judge panel ruled that certain boundaries in the current state house redistricting plan, adopted in 2013, intentionally overemphasized race and that others diluted Latino voting strength.

MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) represents the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force and individual voters in this case. The court agreed with MALDEF’s argument that House district boundaries in Tarrant County must be redrawn because the line drawers made unconstitutional use of race in constructing the boundaries.

The court has set a hearing to consider remedial plans on Sept. 6, 2017. Read the ruling here.

Please attribute the following statement on today’s ruling to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF:

"With this final of several rulings on liability in Texas state redistricting in 2011 and 2013, the case now moves to remedy; this is a most welcome development. The state of Texas needs to move on with fixing permanently the rights violations in which it has regularly – as confirmed by this court’s recent rulings – and continually engaged. The people of Texas need to have confidence that the electoral system in which more and more will participate is untainted by intentional discrimination or discriminatory effects.”

Please attribute the following statement on today’s ruling to Nina Perales, vice president of litigation for MALDEF and lead counsel for the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force in the case:

"Today’s ruling once again found that Texas racially gerrymandered its voting districts and used Latino voters as pawns in doing so. With the 2018 election cycle fast approaching, it’s time for Texas to stop discriminating against Latino voters and agree to a remedy that will provide equal opportunity to all.”

Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Often described as the "Latino Legal Voice for Civil Rights in America" MALDEF promotes social change through advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access. For more information on MALDEF, please visit: www.maldef.org.