US court hears Texas case that threatens to erode Black and Latino voters’ rights

Galveston county appeals after its electoral maps were thrown out for ‘stark and jarring’ violations of Voting Rights Act

The most rightwing appeals court in the country has heard a case over discriminatory electoral maps in Galveston, Texas, which threatens to puncture a fresh hole in the already battered 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The US court of appeals for the fifth circuit, which has six of 17 active judges appointed by Donald Trump, heard a clash of views over whether Black and Latino minority voters could have their combined electoral voice protected.