In case you missed it, or didn't hear about it, Galveston County won a major redistricting case that will likely end up reshaping dozens of political seats.
It's a fight that has been going on for decades. A battle over the Democrat created 'coalition districts'. So what exactly is a 'coalition district'?
"A coalition district is when you don't have enough of a single minority, then you have to put other minorities together in order to create a coalition district" said Galveston County Judge, Mark Henry. "But one of the caveats is, they have to be Democrat."
It was a great way for the Democrats to grab power. But not anymore. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to eliminate 'coalition districts', which means Democrats can no longer 'weaponize' the Voting Rights Act for their own political gain.
"The win is for the Constitution and the rule of law" Judge Henry told KTRH, "For forty years, we've had this legal fiction called 'coalition districts' which doesn't appear anywhere in the Voting Rights Act, but it got created out of thin air and used to benefit only Democrats."
Now it should help Republicans, as 12 U.S. congressional seats including 5 here in Texas, will be reshaped, and likely flipped.
"Yes, because the states can now go back and redistrict not only U.S. Congressional House seats, but state house and state senate seats" noted Judge Henry.
In addition to Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi have 'coalition districts', which are now considered unlawful.