WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court Monday summarily affirmed a lower-court ruling in favor of GOP state legislators who have redrawn the congressional map of Texas.
Without hearing argument or issuing dissent, the high court upheld the lower-court ruling that rejected an argument by Democrats, who contended that a change in state Senate rules to redraw Texas's congressional districts represented a procedural change that must receive approval from the Justice Department or a Washington federal court.
The Democrats argued that Republicans have illegally gerrymandered the districts so that GOP candidates are more likely to be elected to Congress.
The current dispute is just a sidelight to the main case. Earlier this term, the Supreme Court refused to review another lower-court case in which Democrats unsuccessfully argued that political gerrymandering is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court still has to rule on a similar case out of Pennsylvania, where Democrats argue GOP legislators also have politically gerrymandered congressional districts.
