Supreme Court Stays New Texas Congressional Map Pending Review

Texas’ roller-coaster redistricting adventure took another turn late last night as the Supreme Court agreed to review the most recent map’s constitutionality and block its implementation in the meantime. After the DC Circuit Court struck down the Texas legislature’s original map for discriminating against minorities, a three-judge panel released a new map late last month that would have created four additional minority-friendly districts. Now, that map will be reviewed by the Supreme Court, with a hearing set for January 9. SCOTUS Blog says the move “raises the strong possibility of a major new ruling on the power of federal judges to draw up redistricting plans while a state legislature’s own maps are under challenge in court.”