Court To Decide If Texas Voting Maps Discriminate (AUDIO)

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/02/141916779/court-to-decide-if-texas-voting-maps-discriminate



Lawyers for President Obama's Justice Department and Texas' Republican Gov. Rick Perry will be squaring off in federal court in Washington on Wednesday.

The state has sued the federal government to try to win court approval for its new legislative maps. There are big stakes: Texas stands to gain four new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But minorities in Texas, with a boost from the Justice Department, say the new boundaries amount to a step backward for Latino voting power.

Under the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, Texas needs to get permission from the federal government or a special federal court before it makes big voting changes. That's because the state has a history of discriminating against minorities at the ballot box.