Lower Court Holding in Evenwel v. Abbott
Decision of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
The Texas Legislature is required by the Texas Constitution to reapportion its Senate districts during the first regular session after the Federal decennial census. It is undisputed that, after publication of the 2010 census, the Texas Legislature created redistricting Plan S148 and passed it as part of Senate Bill 31, which Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law June 17, 2011. A three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas found that there was a not insubstantial claim that Plan S148 violated the Federal Voting Rights Act, and issued an interim plan, Plan S172,…
