[JURIST] A panel of three federal judges on Friday redrew Texas's 23rd Congressional District [opinion; additional materials] to "restore Latino voting strength" to the district in compliance with a June 2005 Supreme Court ruling. The new congressional map as drawn by judges from the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas [official website] consolidates Webb County [official website], placing the entire Hispanic-dominated county into the 28th District, and moves parts of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, into the 23rd district.

The Supreme Court ruled in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry [JURIST report; Duke Law case backgrounder] and three other consolidated cases in June that the 23rd District, as redrawn by Republicans in 2003, violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act [text; DOJ backgrounder] because Latino voting power was diluted. AP has more.