1980s Chronology

**1980**
April 1, 1980	Census Day
December 31, 1980	Census Bureau reports total state populations to the president. Texas gains three new congressional seats.

**1981**
January 13, 1981	67th Legislature, Regular Session, convenes.
March 29, 1981	Legislature receives population data for Texas.
April 7, 1981	Population data loaded into redistricting computer; analysis of district proposals begins.
June 1, 1981	Legislature passes house and senate redistricting bills and adjourns sine die.
June 18, 1981	Governor signs house redistricting bill and vetoes senate bill.
June 19, 1981	Suit filed in state district court against house plan passed by the legislature (Clements v. Valles).
July 13, 1981	67th Legislature, 1st Called Session, convenes to consider congressional redistricting.
August 10, 1981	Legislature passes congressional redistricting bill.
August 14, 1981	Governor signs congressional redistricting bill.
August 30, 1981	Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB) convenes to consider senate redistricting.
August 31, 1981	Texas Supreme Court overturns house plan; as a result, the LRB also considers house redistricting.
September 11, 1981	Congressional redistricting plan is submitted to the justice department for preclearance under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
September 14, 1981	Suit filed in federal district court against the congressional plan passed by the legislature in special session (Seamon v. Upham).
October 27, 1981	LRB adopts senate plan.
October 28, 1981	LRB adopts house plan.
October 29, 1981	Suit filed in federal district court against the LRB senate plan.
October 30, 1981	Suit filed in state district court against the LRB senate plan.
November 6, 1981	Suit filed in federal district court against the LRB house plan.
November 23, 1981	Texas attorney general submits LRB house and senate plans to the justice department for Voting Rights Act preclearance.
November 30, 1981	Secretary of state submits LRB house and senate plans to the justice department for Voting Rights Act preclearance.
December 3, 1981	House and senate cases consolidated for trial (Terrazas v. Clements).

**1982**
January 6, 1982	State district court upholds LRB senate plan.
January 25, 1982	Justice department issues letters of objection to house and senate redistricting plans.
January 25, 1982	Court hearing the congressional case extends the filing deadline for selected congressional districts to February 22.
January 28, 1982	Court hearing the house and senate cases enters an order reflecting its intention to adopt temporary plans and asks for submission of modified plans; extends filing deadline to March 19.
January 29, 1982	Justice department issues a letter of objection to the congressional redistricting plan.
February 2, 1982	Original filing deadline for primary elections.
Feburary 15, 1982	Court hearing the congressional case extends filing deadline for selected districts to March 19.
February 27, 1982	Court hearing the congressional case adopts new plan for the 1982 elections. The decision is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
March 4, 1982	Justice department withdraws objections to certain house and senate districts.
March 5, 1982	Court hearing the house and senate case adopts temporary plans for 1982 elections (MALDEF plans for El Paso and Bexar house districts; LRB plans for all other districts); the plans are to remain in effect until December 31, 1983, "unless valid apportionment plans are sooner enacted."
March 19, 1982	Date of court-ordered filing deadline for house and senate districts and for about half of the congressional districts.
April 1, 1982	U.S. Supreme Court finds that the court hearing the congressional case has erred in its decision to change districts in Dallas County without a finding that the districts drawn in special session violated any law; case remanded to district court.
April 5, 1982	District court hearing the congressional case decides that the elections should be held as scheduled using districts created by the district court in February.
May 1, 1982	Date of primary elections.

**1983**
January 11, 1983	68th Legislature, Regular Session, convenes.
May 10, 1983	Legislature enacts bill making no changes in house districts used in the 1982 elections. MALDEF renews its challenge to Dallas house districts.
May 16, 1983	Senate enacts a resolution requesting the court to make changes in eight senate districts.
May 28, 1983	Legislature enacts congressional district plan making changes in seven congressional districts, but maintaining two minority-impact districts in Dallas County.
May 31, 1983	House district plan submitted to the justice department for Voting Rights Act review.
July 5, 1983	Senate district plan submitted to the justice department for Voting Rights Act review.
July 29, 1983	Congressional district plan submitted to the justice department for Voting Rights Act review.
August 1, 1983	Justice department announces that it would not object to house districts.
August 6, 1983	Justice department announces that it would not object to senate districts.
September 27, 1983	Justice department announces that it would not object to congressional districts.
December 22, 1983	District court (which retained jurisdiction from 1981 legislative challenges) adopts senate districts as drawn in the May 16, 1983, senate resolution.

**1984**
January 4, 1984	District court approves the house plan as adopted by the legislature on May 10, 1983.
January 30, 1984	District court in the congressional case upholds the congressional district plan as adopted by the legislature on May 28, 1983.