U.S. Supreme Court dismisses Texas redistricting plan

"The Supreme Court confirmed that the San Antonio court drew illegal maps, without regard for the policy decisions of elected leaders," Abbott said in a Jan. 20 statement. "As the justices point out, courts are ill-suited to make policy judgments and redistricting is primarily the responsibility of the state."

The attorney general continued, adding that "the Supreme Court's swift decision will allow Texas to move forward with elections as soon as possible, under maps that are lawful."

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, also issued a statement Jan. 20.

"The good news is that only Justice Clarence Thomas insisted on imposing the crooked 'Perrymandered' map and rejecting the vital preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act," Doggett stated. "The bad news is that the Supreme Court did not affirm every aspect of the ruling by Judges Garcia and Rodriquez in San Antonio, so our primary election is not likely to proceed on April 3."

The congressman continued, stating, "yet nothing in the Supreme Court order precludes a final congressional map like that already drawn by this San Antonio court."

The ruling comes after two weeks of hearings to decide whether the state's maps, the district court's maps or a combination of the two should be used.

"At least now, we have some directions from the Supreme Court," said state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, who has been present at much of the testimony in Washington, D.C. "It's what the State of Texas wanted, so I'm pleased to see that."

However, the senator said he was not pleased by the chaos surrounding redistricting as it has pushed back the primary elections once from March 6 to April 3, and will almost certainly push the date back further.

State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, said the Supreme Court may have ruled this way because of the belief that the San Antonio courts acted prematurely and should have instead waited until there was a ruling on the state's maps.

Rodriguez said the San Antonio maps seem to more accurately reflect Texas' minority growth, especially the increase in the Hispanic population.

"I think the way San Antonio drew the maps reflects that increase," he said. "They are more representative of a snapshot of minority presence in Texas."

Rep. Rodriguez said he has little doubt the Legislature's maps will be thrown out, too, and hopes the San Antonio maps could still be a basis for whatever final map is chosen.

In response to the ruling, the San Antonio court has set a status conference for Feb.1.