Opinion ID: 2335528
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The State Defendants

Text: Because the trial court failed to adopt the Attorney General's proposed redistricting plan, the State defendants contend the trial court violated our separation-of-powers doctrine. See Tex. Const. art. II, § 1. The State defendants assert that, absent a legislative redistricting plan, the Attorney General has the inherent power to fill the legislative void and present the State's policy preferences on redistricting. The State defendants argue the trial court should have deferred to the plan the Attorney General submitted on the State defendants' behalf, because Texas' Attorney General is authorized to represent the State's interests in redistricting litigation. According to the State defendants, the trial court abandoned its adjudicatory role when it adopted its own plan without finding any legal errors in the Attorney General's or other parties' proposed plans. Furthermore, the State defendants argue that the trial court's judgment adopting Plan 1089C at the eleventh hour, without providing the parties an adequate opportunity to comment and to submit evidence about this new plan, rendered the bench trial meaningless. The State defendants urge that the trial court's order appointing the Texas Legislative Council as an expert and requiring the Council's staff to keep its dealings with the trial court confidential further exemplifies the trial court's irregular proceedings.