Texas congressional map under scrutiny

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a remapping of Texas congressional districts that gained Republicans six seats is constitutional.

The judicial review announced Monday was engineered by former Republican House leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who is facing state money laundering charges related to campaign finance.

Democrats argued the new map, which replaced one made only two years earlier, short-circuits the formula described in the Constitution for remapping federal districts following each new census, every 10 years. They also complained that the plan diluted minority voting rights, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The implications for the state's primaries, scheduled March 7, are not clear, the newspaper said.

Carl Forti, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, called the high court's decision "just another step in the process."

"Redistricting by its very nature is partisan. The Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed there's nothing wrong with that," he said.