Republicans redrew Texas House districts in 2011 to gain partisan advantage by intentionally and improperly diluting the voting strength of minority Texans, a federal court ruled Thursday.

In a 2-1 decision, the San Antonio-based federal court panel said "invidious discriminatory purpose" underlies the map that set district boundaries for the state’s 150 House members in violation of the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.

"The impact of the plan was certainly to reduce minority voting opportunity statewide, resulting in even less proportional representation for minority voters," the court said.

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