Federal court finds Texas gerrymandered maps on racial lines

AUSTIN, Texas -- A federal court has dealt Texas another loss over voting rights, finding that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the electoral influence of the state's booming minority population.

The ruling late Friday by a three-judge panel in San Antonio gave Democrats hope of new voting maps that could give them more seats in Congress. But the 2-1 decision didn't mandate an immediate fix and Texas could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Republicans currently hold two of the three congressional districts ruled newly invalid. The maps were originally drawn by the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature in 2011.

Texas that year also passed a voter ID law that ranks among the toughest in the nation but has since been weakened by court rulings.

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