Hispanic-majority district rejected

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A judge rejected a redistricting proposal Wednesday that would have created a Hispanic-majority congressional district for New Mexico, and instead approved a plan that makes only slight changes.

The ruling was a setback for Democrats, who had hoped a realignment and Hispanic-majority district would give them a better shot at a second U.S. House seat. Republicans hold two of three seats.

Democrats had argued that the state's large number of Hispanics -- 42 percent of the population -- should be given a greater voice in Congress.

However, District Judge Frank Allen Jr., a Democrat, said he found "no persuasive evidence" the federal Voting Rights Act required a Hispanic majority district.