There are ways to avoid this sort of wreck at trial. But in San Antonio, the expert witness defending the Texas redistricting plans gave a big gift to the plaintiffs: “During his testimony, Alford also questioned how the Legislature redrew the lines for a current Latino opportunity district that stretches from West Texas to San Antonio that is currently represented by Canseco. “I would not have done what was done to the 23rd,” Alford said. It’s “less likely to perform” and elect a Latino. He later went further and said the Legislature’s changes to the district had invited a lawsuit.
“The state’s final witness in a key redistricting trial testified Wednesday that he would have advised the Legislature to alter its changes to a South Texas congressional district.”
Ouch. Wait, it gets worse.
“The expert — Dr. John Alford, a political science professor at Rice University — also said the redistricting map passed by the Legislature would keep the number of minority opportunity congressional districts the same, contradicting the state’s longstanding assertion that the map would create an additional seat.”
Wait again, it gets even worse: