As usual, Michael Li breaks down the ramifications of today’s decision for all of the continuing controversy in Texas.

One of the curiosities: Texas redrew state and federal district lines in 2011.  A DC federal court denied preclearance for those lines (which included findings of intentional discrimination, some (but not all) of which was based on a distinct burden of proof for preclearance).  Based on that denial, a San Antonio federal court drew interim lines for Texas districts (state and federal) in 2012.  The Texas legislature has since passed maps for 2014 and beyond, based in large part on the interim lines, which are still heavily contested by the San Antonio litigants.  But the Governor has not yet signed the new plans.  Which means that the 2011 maps are, at the moment, legally operative — despite a federal court’s finding that they were enacted with the intent to discriminate.

Gonna be an interesting couple weeks/months/years in Texas.