WASHINGTON -- Texas Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, took the stand Wednesday to make his case against splitting Fort Worth's black and Latino neighborhoods in the redistricting trial that may shape the state's legislative and congressional districts.
"This map splits up the black and Hispanic minorities into four different congressional districts," Veasey said as he began 11/2 hours on the stand. "It's drawn so the Hispanic community would not have the ability to elect a candidate of choice."Veasey and other witnesses, including U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, testified that the Legislature failed to draw a Hispanic-majority U.S. House district in the Metroplex and diluted minority interests in Texas House and Senate districts.Johnson said no one can question that there's intentional discrimination against minorities in redistricting.The interim map issued by a three-judge panel in San Antonio for the 2012 election creates a congressional seat within Tarrant County that Veasey has said he will run for. "If we don't get the interim map, probably I'll run for re-election," he told the Star-Telegram at the courthouse.Gerry Hebert, the lawyer for state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, got Doug Davis, a GOP senior aide in the Texas Senate, to confirm on the stand that a previously sealed e-mail warned him not to issue the Texas Senate map before the Legislature held a hearing and considered amendments."No bueno," wrote David Hanna of the Texas Legislative Counsel, saying that would create a "paper trail.""Don't think this is good idea for preclearance," said the e-mail from Hanna, a key player in GOP-led redistricting.Wendy Davis, who is expected to testify Friday, said in an interview that she isn't surprised that Doug Davis wanted to rush through the map that carved up her district. "It was clear to me throughout the process that the minimum amount of public input was purely perfunctory."Minority groups and the Justice Department are challenging the state's maps, and a three-judge federal panel is conducting a trial to determine whether the maps comply with the Voting Rights Act.Maria Recio is the Star-Telegram's Washington bureau chief.202-383-6103Twitter: @maria_e_recioHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
