On Wednesday, the San Antonio three-judge panel held and concluded a one-day trial on the redistricting lawsuit filed by Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis against the State of Texas and pertaining to the State Senate maps. The Republican Party of Texas is named as a defendant in the lawsuit and was represented at the trial by RPT Assistant General Counsel Eric Opiela and attorney Donna Davidson.

From the RPT's perspective, the trial went very well. Attorney General Greg Abbott's team had an excellent day in court, and offered a strong defense for the State. The conclusion of this trial sets the stage for final action from the San Antonio three-judge panel in the upcoming days, and the rapidity in which the trial concluded also brought forth another positive development. At the end of the day, the Court announced that they would move up the next status hearing by one day to Tuesday, February 14th. The new court order is a change from the date that was previously announced in yesterday's Chairman's Update. This hearing will be critically important in determining the future of the unified April Primary and RPT will be strongly represented at the hearing by Chairman Steve Munisteri and our legal team. Also at yesterday's hearing, the Court instructed both sides to have another round of negotiations and report back by Monday as to the results. Today, the Attorney General's office made a filing with the court relative to their legal position on the specific legislative districts that are still under contention. We will keep you informed of any developments as they occur, but at this point – all of our attention is focused upon preparing for what we hope will be a quick action from the San Antonio three-judge panel at the end of Tuesday's hearing.