Redistricting redux Supreme Court to hear arguments in 7-year-old Texas gerrymandering case

Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case to determine whether Texas needs to draw new electoral maps to give minority voters an equal voice.

The outcome could have massive ramifications for North Texans. Experts say it could dramatically change state politics and perhaps create an opening for Democrats to win more seats in the Texas House and in Congress.

But if one expert deems the 7-year-old case “the most complex redistricting contest I’ve ever been involved in,” how are you supposed to follow it?

This graphic representation breaks down how the Dallas-Fort Worth area could be affected.

What parts of the state are being challenged?

Last August, a federal district court in San Antonio ruled that two congressional districts and nine statehouse districts, five in Dallas-Fort Worth (below), were drawn with the intent to discriminate against African-American and Hispanic voters.

Dallas County HD 103 Rafael Anchia D-Dallas HD 104 Roberto Alonzo D-Dallas HD 105 Rodney Anderson R-Grand Prairie Tarrant County HD 90 Ramon Romero D-Fort Worth HD 93 Matt

Krause R-Fort Worth

Redrawing the Dallas County districts could redistribute the Hispanic population, meaning more districts would have a high number of Hispanic voters. And because Hispanics tend to vote for Democrats, it could lead to more Democrats elected to the Texas House.

The court gave the state three days to decide whether to call a special legislative session to redraw the districts.

Instead, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to block the lower court’s ruling. In January, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.

How did we get here?

The fight over these maps goes back seven years, when the plaintiffs in the case — which include minority lawmakers and civil rights organizations — alleged the maps the state Legislature approved in 2011 were gerrymandered to discriminate against minorities and keep Anglo incumbents in power.

Dallas County House Districts The map below shows each House District in Dallas County, color-coded by race with the highest percentage of voting age population (VAP) in each district. Click on a district to see a breakdown of voting age population by race: Race with highest percentage VAP: Anglo Hispanic Black Source: Texas Legislative Council, 2010 Census

The state’s population had grown since 2000 by 4 million people, most of whom were racial and ethnic minorities.

The map’s challengers argue that the Republican-led Legislature resisted creating any districts where minorities could elect candidates of their choice — most likely Democrats.

Under the 2011 maps, Anglo voters had a chance to elect the candidates of their choice in eight of Dallas County’s 14 statehouse seats — nearly 60 percent — even though they made up only one-third of its population.