To the editor: Contributing writer Erwin Chemerinsky’s recent op-ed should be required reading for all who support our constitutional democracy (“The Supreme Court’s 3 terrible reasons for allowing Texas’ racially rigged map,” Dec. 5).

There are so many things wrong with the Supreme Court’s blocking of the lower court’s reasoned opinion that ruled the Texas redistricting map unconstitutional. As Chemerinsky points out, the three reasons given by the Supreme Court in its unsigned opinion are blatant sophistry and result in effectively making it impossible for anyone to challenge a legislature’s action in redistricting anytime in advance of a midterm congressional election.

What’s more, this decision comes from the court’s “shadow docket,” meaning it is rendered without briefing or oral argument — but nonetheless gives a green light to the challenged redistricting map for this upcoming election.

The rationale that a map drawn for purely partisan political purposes might be constitutionally permissible is stunning. In 2019, in Rucho vs. Common Cause, Chief Justice John Roberts (in upholding a redistricting map) wrote: “Excessive partisanship in districting leads to results that reasonably seem unjust. But the fact that such gerrymandering is ‘incompatible with democratic principles’ does not mean that the solution lies with the federal judiciary.” But this is where we are.

James Stiven, Cardiff
This writer is a retired U.S. magistrate judge.

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To the editor: Chemerinsky is outraged that Texas is allowed to redraw its congressional maps, which are designed to elect five more Republicans to the House of Representatives. Would it be proper to ban Texas from doing this after California has already found legal avenues to do something similar? I’m not sure how all states can be forced to draw districts that are reasonable and fair, but Chemerinsky seems to lament the gerrymandering practice in Texas without mentioning complaints when it happens in California.

David Waldowski, Laguna Woods

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To the editor: Although Chemerinsky accurately describes the Supreme Court’s stated reasons for the decision, the actual rationale was probably much more cynical.

First, Texas racially rigged its election district maps to favor Trump in the midterms. Second, California rigged its own maps in response, but did it better by putting it to statewide vote. Lastly, the Texas stunt got challenged in court on solid constitutional grounds and looked like it might lose, so that the whole thing might backfire against our man President Trump. And, well, we can’t have that, can we?

Ronald Ellsworth, La Mesa

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has won the Bronko Nagurski Award given annually to the nation’s top college defensive player.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Rodriguez received the award at a banquet Monday night at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Rodriguez, known for his dark mustache that is now copied by Texas Tech football fans, has 114 tackles this season, along with four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one sack for the Red Raiders, who boast the nation’s fifth-best defense.

Texas Tech (12-1) won the Big 12 championship and will make its first appearance in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Red Raiders, who allow just 254.4 yards per game on defense, were tabbed as the No. 4 seed in the final College Football Playoff rankings and have a bye week.

They will play the winner of No. 5 Oregon/No. 12 James Madison in the quarterfinals.

Behind a stifling defense led by Rodriguez, the Red Raiders won 12 games by 20-plus points this season, including a 34-7 victory over previously No. 11 BYU in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday. They join the 2018 Alabama team as the only programs in the Associated Press era to accomplish that feat.

After a regular season win over BYU in November in which Rodriguez had 14 tackles and two takeaways in a 29-7 victory, he struck the Heisman Trophy pose.

Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who played at Texas Tech and was at the game during a bye week, later posted on social media: “Get him to New York! @HeismanTrophy.”

“My guys, they wanted me to hit it. Just a rush of adrenaline,” Rodriguez later said of his pose.

The other finalists for the award were Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore.

Rodriguez joins some elite company.

Previous Bronko Nagurski Award winners include Will Anderson Jr. (2021), Chase Young (2019), Bradley Chubb (2017), Aaron Donald (2013), Luke Kuechly (2011), Ndamukong Suh (2009), Brian Orakpo (2008), Derrick Johnson (2004), Terrell Suggs (2002), Dan Morgan (2000), Charles Woodson (1997) and Warren Sapp (1994).

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AUSTIN – Political hopefuls from across Texas start their races for the 2026 election season in earnest on Monday, as the window for filing their candidacies for public office draws to a close.

Up for grabs in the March primaries and November general election next year are 150 seats in the Texas House and 16 in the state Senate, as well as one U.S. Senate seat and all 38 U.S. Congressional districts.

The primaries, run by the Republican and Democrat parties, will be held March 3, 2026. Early voting opens Tuesday, Feb. 17. The general election is Nov. 3.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will be defending his position for a fourth term and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is running for re-election in what would be his fifth term. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, completing his fourth six-year term in Washington, faces a heavy attack for his post from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a fellow Republican, and a few high-profile Democrats.

Notably, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett is expected to announce today she will run for Cornyn’s Senate seat. Her expected entry into the race prompted Colin Allred, who ran for Senate in 2024 against incumbent Ted Cruz, to withdraw from the Senate contest and set his sights on the House instead. State Rep. James Talarico remains Crockett’s strongest foe in the upcoming primary.

Paxton’s exit from the AGs office leaves a field of candidates vying for his post, along with four other statewide officials, four members of the Texas Supreme Court, three members of the Criminal Court of Appeals, and eight members of the Texas Board of Education.

The Congressional races will be influenced by a newly drawn district map after the Texas Legislature redrew the lines this summer to send additional Republicans to Washington to support President Donald Trump. Democrat districts in Dallas, Houston and South Texas were redrawn to shift to Republican, a plan that has touched off court battles but has so far held up under legal scrutiny.

The new map gathers Republican voters into districts that will help their candidates, but the statewide offices — all of which have been controlled by the GOP for more than 20 years – are still vulnerable to the demographic and political shifts that have hinted at a more blue Texas in recent cycles.

Paxton, who was impeached by the GOP-dominated Texas House in 2023 but acquitted of the charges in a trial by the Texas Senate, has drawn criticism from the left over the years for his involvement in scandals that included felony indictment for securities fraud. He has escaped the legal tangles but remains a favorite target for Democrats who say he embodies the very political corruption his controlling party has vowed to abolish.

“Republican leadership has abused the power, neglected the operations, and left unfulfilled the

obligations of the Attorney General’s Office,” said state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, who is running for the post. “They have maliciously and recklessly used it as a right-wing headline machine, taking their orders from D.C. power mongers and megadonor ideologues.”

Rather than distance themselves from Paxton, Republican candidates for his office are leaning on their willingness to support public safety, although the AG’s office doesn’t do criminal prosecutions.

“You want someone who is going to defend your freedom, who’s going to defend your rights, but will also aggressively prosecute and go after those who want to harm you, your families or your communities,” said state Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican and former prosecutor vying for the spot.