[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 117 (Thursday, August 18, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 18, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         COURT RULING IN TEXAS

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that you are 
in the chair this morning.
  Yesterday, a three-judge Federal panel in Houston, all of whom were 
appointed by Republican administrations, ruled that three Texas 
congressional districts were unconstitutional. They stated these 
districts were drawn to maximize participation of minorities, that they 
violated the 14th amendment to the Constitution.
  The 29th District, which I am honored to represent, is one of these 
minority districts. It is comprised of hard-working men and women who 
share more than their race or their ethnicity. The people of this 
district are working-class citizens that are the backbone of this 
Nation, and this court ruling seeks to divide them and to minimize 
their voices and to even confuse the electorate even more on what 
district they live in.
  This court case is not about the pigmentation of someone's skin. It 
is about politics. We in Washington sometimes let our partisanship get 
in the way of lots of issues, but it should not happen in a Federal 
court and that is what is happening now.
  In the end I am certain that we will prevail and that this district 
that I am proud to represent will remain intact. We cannot allow a 
partisan ploy by a three-judge Federal panel to disrupt the election 
process, whether it be in Louisiana, North Carolina, or Texas.

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