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MALDEF scores victory in Texas House plan
Three federal judges presiding over Balderas v. Texas, a voting rights case file by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), issued a new redistricting plan for the Texas House of Representatives that created an additional Latino-Majority House district in South Texas.
MALDEF had also asked for changes in the Senate map, saying additional Hispanic-majority districts were needed in both chambers.
The group did not get its wish in the Senate, but it did in the House. "We are very pleased," said Nina Perales, MALDEF staff attorney and lead counsel for Balderas. "Because of the growth in Latino voters over the decade, the court should have created the additional Senate district," continued Perales.
In its decision, the court rejected the House plan enacted by the Texas Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB) in July, citing the ruling by the U.S. Department of Justice that the LRB plan provided fewer districts in which Latinos would be able to elect their candidate...