The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Texas lawmakers did not intentionally discriminate against voters of color when they drew congressional and states House maps. These maps include U.S. House District 35, which runs between Austin and San Antonio and is represented by Democrat Lloyd Doggett.

In a 5-4 vote, the high court upheld 10 of 11 Texas districts that the maps' challengers argued diminished the voting power of black and Hispanic voters and were designed to keep white incumbents in office.

In a majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the evidence was "plainly insufficient" to prove that the 2013 Texas Legislature, which was responsible for drawing the maps following the 2010 Census, acted in "bad faith" when it enacted the districts.

The exception was Texas House District 90, which includes Fort Worth and is represented by Democrat Rep. Ramon Romero. This district was ruled an impermissible racial gerrymander because lawmakers illegally used race as the predominant factor in drawing its boundaries.

Racial gerrymandering is prohibited under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. Partisan gerrymandering, however, remains legal.

The Supreme Court's ruling overturns a lower court's decision, to which one of the three judges—Jerry Smith—dissented on the grounds that the Texas Legislature was motivated by race when it drew its maps when it fact he felt it was motivated by partisan goals.

A long fight


Civil rights groups, voters of color and Democratic lawmakers have been fighting the Republican-controlled Legislature's district maps were originally drawn in 2011.

Following a federal court ruling that the 2011 maps were racially gerrymandered, the Texas Legislature enacted court-approved district maps that were intended to be used on a temporary basis until more permanent maps could be instated.

The Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling that, although approved by a federal court in 2013, certain districts boundaries, including Doggett's, maintained the racial disparities in the original maps, maximizing the number of Hispanic or Latino voters in order to minimize their influence in surrounding districts, a form of minority voter dilution called packing.

Although 35.1 percent of Austin residents are Hispanic or Latino, more than 60 percent of residents in District 35 are.

The Supreme Court ruling also effectively eliminates any chance that Texas will be placed back under federal electoral supervision.

State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, whose district runs from Rainey Street through southeast Travis County, told Community Impact Newspaper in October: "Essentially, we've gone through an entire decade with unconstitutional maps that are intentionally discriminatory—to use the words of a federal court—and there've been no repercussions for the Republicans that drew them, and there's been no relief for the minorities that have had to live under these maps."

Texas GOP Chariman James Dickey characterized redistricting as "an inherently political process."

In an October interview with Community Impact Newspaper, he said: "For centuries now, one of the benefits of winning elections in census years is that you then have more say in how districts are drawn... until the next census."

The Texas Legislature will next be responsible for redistricting during its 2021 session, following the 2020 Census.