Supreme court decision points to blatantly gerrymandered districts, including those in Texas

>>> See the most gerrymandered districts around Houston and the rest of Texas. less Supreme Court ruled Thursday that federal courts cannot intervene to block partisan election maps drawn by state lawmakers, according to USA Today. >>> See the most gerrymandered districts around ... more Supreme Court ruled Thursday that federal courts cannot intervene to block partisan election maps drawn by state lawmakers, according to USA Today. Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press Image 1 of / 56 Caption Close Supreme court decision points to blatantly gerrymandered districts, including those in Texas 1 / 56 Back to Gallery

The practice of gerrymandering doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon in Texas after the the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that federal courts cannot intervene to block partisan election maps drawn by state lawmakers, according to USA Today.

The 5-4 ruling comes one year after the Supreme Court allowed disputed districts in Texas to be used in an upcoming congressional midterm elections. It's expected to impact voting rights nationwide, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan denounced the decision on behalf of the court's liberal justices.

"Of all the times to abandon the court's duty to declare the law, this was not the one," she said, according to USA Today. "The practices challenged in these cases imperil our system of government."

According to the Texas Tribune, election maps are redrawn every 10 years, after the federal census is complete. State lawmakers redraw the election maps for Congress and the Legislature, but gerrymandering, or the practice of drawing districts to favor one party, has made an impact in several states, including Texas.

>>> Chron.com compiled a gallery of the most gerrymandered district in the state.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.