AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed redrawn voting maps that pave a safer path for the GOP's slipping majority, leaving opponents hoping courts will block the newly gerrymandered districts before they can be used in the 2022 elections.

Abbott signed the maps Monday, according to a spokeswoman for the governor. The governor's office did not make an announcement.

Civil rights groups have already filed federal lawsuits that accuse GOP mapmakers of disenfranchising Hispanic and Black residents who are driving the state's rapid growth. Texas added 4 million new r...