More than 20 years after launching mid-decade redistricting, the Lone Star State is back in the middle again. It’s easy to forget these days, given the more than three-decade dominance of Republicans in Texas, that Democrats began 2004 with a majority of the state’s delegation to the U.S. House.

Actually derailing the redistricting effort, which was one of nearly 20 items added to the special session agenda by Gov. Greg Abbott, would be a herculean lift fraught with risk for legislative Democrats. Delaying the process with a walkout would require strong participation by most of the party's caucus, and could carry steep financial costs.

The Florida Supreme Court ruled in a case Democrats hoped could have given them an additional seat ahead of the midterms.