(WASHINGTON) — When a federal court Tuesday dropped its bombshell 160-page decision invalidating Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting effort as blatant racial gerrymandering, there was one big missing piece of the puzzle: a dissent.

It turns out Trump-appointed Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, who authored the majority opinion, didn’t allow dissenting Judge Jerry E. Smith, a Reagan appointee, much time to respond in writing, releasing the ruling before the counterpoint was finished, as is customary.

“Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night!” Smith wrote bluntly in a statement released late Wednesday.

What followed was a remarkable statement of sharp personal criticism and vigorous legal argument, notable both for its tone and rationale, which could potentially influence memb

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