AUSTIN, Texas, July 21 (UPI) -- Texas has asked a three-judge panel in Washington to declare its congressional redistricting complies with the federal Voting Rights Act.
State Attorney General Greg Abbott submitted a filing Tuesday, the day after Gov. Rick Perry signed the plan, The Texas Tribune reported. The move would allow the state to avoid a ruling on the plan by the U.S. Justice Department.
The plan already faces legal challenges. This week the Texas Democratic Party and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People announced they are joining the litigation, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
"Allowing these partisan redistricting plans to take effect would violate the voting rights of every Texas voter who is not a partisan Republican," said Chad Dunn, the Democrats' general counsel.
