Supreme Court vacates pending Texas preclearance appeals

The appeals on both photo ID and redistricting were vacated in the wake of Shelby County.  The photo ID law is now legally operative (though challenged in new litigation filed yesterday).  The redistricting maps were superseded yesterday when Governor Perry signed a new plan into law.

Though the findings of the DC preclearance court will have no binding legal effect on future litigation, I’d expect the underlying facts behind the court’s discussion of discriminatory intent in the redistricting case to make a reappearance, even when applied to a new plan in a new legislative session.

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