Texas re-districting probably shouldn't have gone forward

remember in 2003 when democratic state legislators high-tailed it from austin to albuquerque to prevent a vote on the texas redistricting plan...?

While Texas Senate Democrats remain in New Mexico, their counterparts managed to get some work done in Austin.

Passage of the map remains far away from a full vote, especially since 11 Texas Democrat senators say the hospitality in Albuquerque, N.M., suits them just fine.

The Democratic legislators say they'll stay in New Mexico until Republicans and Gov. Rick Perry take the redistricting issue off the table, and said they're prepared to remain out of state up to 30 days, the maximum length of a special session.

remember THIS part...?

State Representative Senfronia Thompson, Democrat of Houston:

“Members of my staff were forced to sign affidavits saying they did not know my whereabouts. The governor sent the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers after us. Attorney General John Ashcroft was getting ready to find a way that he could arrest us under the USA Patriot Act. Then the FBI could come over to Ardmore and handcuff us and bring us back to Texas.”

well, it finally passed but now it seems that maybe it shouldn't have...

Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay (R) violated the Voting Rights Act, according to a previously undisclosed memo obtained by The Washington Post. But senior officials overruled them and approved the plan.

The memo, unanimously endorsed by six lawyers and two analysts in the department's voting section, said the redistricting plan illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in two congressional districts. It also said the plan eliminated several other districts in which minorities had a substantial, though not necessarily decisive, influence in elections.

hey, no biggie... just another little gravy on the tie of the bush/rove/ashcroft/gonzales justice department... it was all for a good cause...

The redistricting was approved in 2003, and Texas Republicans gained five seats in the U.S. House in the 2004 elections, solidifying GOP control of Congress.

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