NPR.   “In one of the most closely watched tests of the reach of the Voting Rights Act this year, Texas has just submitted its proposed redistricting changes to a federal court — not the U.S. Justice Department — for approval. Some Republican governors and attorneys general have advocated bypassing the Obama administration, arguing that they will get a less politicized answer from the courts, even though a Justice Department spokeswoman says the Attorney General has objected to only about “1 percent” of the proposals since the law was enacted.”