City of Lockhart v. United States

This case requires us to consider the application of § 5 of the Voting Rights Act to the election plan adopted by appellant City of Lockhart in 1973.

HH

The City of Lockhart is a community of just under 8,000 people in Caldwell County, Texas, 30 miles south of Austin. According to the most recent census figures, almost 47% of the city’s population are Mexican-American. As of 1977, however, fewer than 30% of the city’s registered voters were Mexican-American.

Before 1973, Lockhart was a “general law” city. Under Texas law, general-law cities have only those powers that the State specifically…