The Supreme Court is set to decide whether Texas redistricting maps drawn by the federal court in San Antonio can go into effect.

The Supreme Court issued an order temporarily blocking the use of the legislative and congressional plans ordered by a federal district court in San Antonio for the 2012 elections.

Magnolia Independent School District School Board President and Magnolia resident Cecil Bell Jr. was running for a newly created seat, Texas House District 3 (HD3).

HD3 would have encompassed all of Waller County, southwest Montgomery County from FM 2978 to Waller County, SH 105 to the Harris County line, a small portion of west Montgomery County, the east side of the San Jacinto River to FM 1485 and Hwy. 59 to SH 105 and Loop 336.

After the federal court in San Antonio redrew the interim maps, the district grew, changed its shape and became Texas House District 136 (HD136). HD136 would still encompass that area but continue north to cover almost all of west Montgomery County and part of northeast Montgomery County.

The new interim maps created in the federal court allegedly gave Democrats a greater chance of winning seats in the Texas Legislature.

A three-judge panel announced that it would hold a full trial from Jan. 17 to 26 to determine if the state’s maps comply with the most basic requirements of the Voting Rights Act.

However, in granting a request by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to temporarily block or place a stay on the interim maps, the nation’s highest court has left candidates uncertain where and when they’re competing.

The application for the stay arose from a redistricting controversy that occurred before a three-judge panel in Texas. That proceeding involved dozens of challenges to the Texas Legislature’s redistricting plans for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Texas House of Representative under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, according to Supreme Court documents.

Supreme Court documents stated that the application concerns the court-drawn map for the U.S. House of Representatives. That map shares the same basic defects as the court-drawn maps for the Texas House and Senate and demands a stay followed by a reversal or a stay followed by expedited briefing and argument, according to documents.

The stay throws Texas’ congressional and state legislature elections into mayhem.

A hearing is set for Jan. 9 to discuss what the stay means for the election timeline and if the primaries will be pushed back.

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