A federal judge โsharply criticized his colleagues on โa three-judge panel for halting the implementation ofโ a Texas congressional map that he believes would โคhaveโฃ increased representation for minorityโข voters. Judge Jerry Smith, in a โขdissenting opinion issued Friday, accused the โmajority of prioritizing procedural concerns over the potential for fairer elections.
The map, initially approved by a district court, was blocked by the Fifth Circuit Court of appeals on Thursday โpending further review. Smith argued the pause effectively maintains a map heโ contends illegally diminishes the voting power of racial minorities in Texas, a state gaining critically important population.The case centers on allegations that the existing map violates the Voting โRights Act by dilutingโค the influenceโ of Hispanic voters. The โSupreme Court will now consider whether to allow theโค new mapโฃ to be used in theโ upcoming 2024โ elections, withโ a decisionโฃ expected soon.
The dispute arises from the redrawing of texas’ 38 congressional districts following the 2020 census. Civil rights groups and the Department of Justice sued,arguing โtheโ map โcreated by the Republican-controlled state legislature intentionally weakened minority voting strength. The district court found evidence of discriminatory intent in the map’s creation, specifically regarding the drawing of districtsโ in โthe Dallas-Fort Worth area and Houston. โ
The court ordered the legislature to create two additional districts where minorityโข voters wouldโค have a greater opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. The blocked map complied with that order.The majority on the Fifth circuit, though, stayed the lower court’s ruling, โฃcitingโ concerns about the proximity โto the election and the potential for disruption.
Smith โcountered that delaying the โimplementation of the โฃnew map โwould perpetuate what he views as an โongoing violation of โthe Voting Rights Act. Heโ wrote that the majority’s decision “disregards the โimportance of allowing minority voters to exercise their fundamentalโ right to vote in anโฃ election that is fair and representative.” The case is EveryVote Action Fundโ v. Abbott, No. 23-5083, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
