US Supreme Court green-lights Galveston County's Republican-drawn voting maps for 2024 election

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has approved voting maps in Galveston County despite other courts deeming it a violation of voting rights.

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the high court voted 6-3 to grant Galveston County's request to maintain the use of Republican-drawn maps for the 2024 election.

The courts that ruled against it claim the maps violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in elections.

In a redistricting lawsuit, a court claimed the map adopted in 2021 is discriminatory and does not comply with the law. When efforts were made to obtain a new political map, a federal appeals court blocked it.

Under the current map, the county's only majority-minority district was turned into one with the lowest percentage of Black and Latino residents.

As a result of the ruling, the maps will remain in effect while a federal appeals court reviews the justices' decision next year.

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