AAS 1/27/12
Settlement talks under way in Texas redistricting
(snip)
Negotiations between the state and minority groups were under way even before the court made its ruling late Friday. Democratic state Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer, chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott had approached his group to make a serious attempt to reach a compromise that would keep the state's April primary.
With that trial winding down, Martinez-Fischer said the strong case made by minority groups to the Washington court could be driving the state's readiness to talk about reaching a compromise on the maps that will be used in the upcoming election while the two court cases are resolved.
"What's significant is that there's never been any discussions. There are now," Martinez-Fischer said. "Something's motivating that."
Addressing the San Antonio court, Assistant Attorney General David Mattax characterized the discussions as purely geared toward getting a temporary map in place so the state could keep its primary. Anything agreed-upon, in other words, would not be final.
"An interim map for 2012. That's what we need to get done now," Mattax told the court.
But minority groups questioned if that was even still feasible after the Supreme Court ordered the San Antonio to take a second try at drafting temporary political maps for the 2012 election.