The United States Justice Department expressed concern Monday about whether new Texas redistricting plans for four U.S. House seats comply with the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which protects the interests of minority voters.

In a filing with a special three-judge court panel in Washington D.C., civil rights lawyers at Justice wrote that they doubted new boundaries for the House seats "maintain or increase the ability of minority voters to elect their candidate of choice."

Phyllis Ryser will be discussing Motorcycle Insurance this week.

Germany's state parliament now has representatives from a brand new political party that focuses heavily on Internet freedoms. The Pirate Party won 8.5 percent of the vote for the Berlin state parliament and ousted the Free Democrats, which is part of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition.

And who are the party members? Here's how Der Spiegel opens their story today:

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – The Commerce ISD has joined in the fight for funding equity among Texas public schools.

Trustees on Monday agreed to spend no more than $1 per its 2,100-student weighted average daily attendance. The money will go toward litigation to be filed by the Equity Center, which represents over 600 districts.