The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday threw out the San Antonio district court-drawn, interim redistricting maps meant to override maps approved by the Texas Legislature last year.

The nation's highest court ruled that the San Antonio district court did not follow "the appropriate standards in drawing interim maps for the 2012 Texas elections," and ordered the district court to come up with a new plan.

"A district court should take guidance from the state's recently enacted plan in drafting an interim plan," the ruling said. "That plan reflects the state's policy judgments on where to place new districts and how to shift existing ones in response to massive population growth."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the state's Hispanic/Latino population increased by 38 percent between 2000 and 2010. Nationally, the Hispanic/Latino population grew by 13 percent.

State lawmakers are required to redraw the state's legislative and congressional lines to reflect population shifts following the release of U.S. Census figures. The process is known as "redistricting," which occurs once each decade.

Texas primary elections were changed from March 3 to April 3 due to redistricting challenges. But it is unknown when Texas will receive new maps from the San Antonio district court, so the date for Texas primary election remains unclear, said Lauren Bean, a spokeswoman for the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Minority groups argue that the state Legislature's maps dilute the voting power of the state's growing Latino residents.

The San Antonio district court issued its own maps to be used in the upcoming election in place of the redistricting maps approved by the Texas Legislature and Gov. Rick Perry last year. But the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 9 suspended the San Antonio maps from going into effect.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a prepared statement that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision will allow the state to "move forward with elections as soon as possible, under maps that are lawful."

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

State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said in a prepared statement that the state Legislature's approved maps reflect months of careful deliberation and public input.

"I am pleased with today's Supreme Court decision, which validates our position that the San Antonio court exceeded its authority by issuing interim maps that completely ignored the will of the Legislature and needlessly divided communities of interest in North Texas," Nelson said.

A three-judge panel federal district court in Washington, D.C. is currently hearing arguments to decide whether to approve the state Legislature's map under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.