In Houston, a three-judge federal panel, has backed a new Republican-drawn congressional district map for Texas that is expected to shift six or seven House seats currently held by Democrats to the GOP. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court in part because the new map carves up many African-American and Latino districts. Congressional Black Caucus member John Conyers said “Once again minority voters have been forced to pay the price in the Republican party’s drive to manipulate the election process. Just like in south Florida, African-Americans and Latinos have been disenfranchised as part of a strategy to steal a Republican victory.”