Judge lashes out over ruling on Texas maps: "The opinion would deserve an 'F'"
Summary
A three-judge panel ruled that Texas must discard its new congressional maps because they were an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. One Republican-appointed judge strongly disagreed with the ruling, criticizing the majority opinion and the process used to make the decision.Key Facts
- The panel ruled 2-1 that Texas’ new congressional maps are unconstitutional because they were drawn based on race.
- The new map would have created five additional seats favoring the Republican Party.
- Judge Jeffrey Brown (appointed by President Trump) and Judge David Guaderrama (appointed by President Obama) formed the majority in the ruling.
- Texas quickly appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Judge Jerry Smith (appointed by President Reagan) dissented, harshly criticizing the ruling and claiming he was not given enough time to respond.
- The main disagreement is whether the maps were drawn for racial reasons (illegal) or for partisan reasons (legal).
- The majority said Texas lawmakers aimed to create majority-Hispanic districts, which is racial gerrymandering.
- The dissent argued the mapmaker’s explanations showed political, not racial, motives behind the new districts.
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