Latino politicians and advocacy groups have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of a case that may affect the almost 55 percent of the Latino population.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Evenwel v. Abbott case, which was launched by Sue Evenwel and another plaintiff, who wants the electoral district to only account eligible voters instead of the overall population.

According to Nina Perales, vice president of litigation for Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund (MALDEF), said the Justices' questions focused on how the redistricting would affect representation for children -- not only in Texas but across the U.S.

"Children are the largest group of ineligible voters, and these are the people Ms. Evenwel is seeking to exclude from redistricting. In Texas, children and two-and-a-half times as large as any other group of ineligible voters," said Perales, adding she was heartened by the Supreme Court's focus on what the policy implication would be if seats and representation were shifted in favor of older segments of the Texas.

Perales later added, "In Texas, because the Latino community skews younger and its age structure and because the Latino community tends to have more children per family, the demographic impact of what Ms. Evenwel is seeking would to move seats and representation away from the Latino community -- away from south Texas and west Texas, out of Houston and out of Dallas and up into central and northeast Texas where the population is older and more Anglo."

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 national and regional Latino organizations, hopes the Supreme Court will rule in favor of equal representation regardless of an individual's age or voting status. NHLA chair Hector Sanchez said the plaintiffs seek to draw district lines that ignore anyone who cannot vote.

"The result would be underrepresentation for communities that have large numbers of children and people of color -- two groups that need more attention from our elected leaders, not less," said Sanchez. "In a time when politicians see every season as campaign season, the Supreme Court must reaffirm that we are a nation of people, not just voters."

Cristóbal J. Alex, president of Latino Victory Project, a non-partisan organization engaging Latino voters, said he hopes the Supreme Court will uphold the "one person, one vote" principle, and not create a second class of individuals

"Everyone deserves fair and equal representation regardless of voting status or age," Alex said in a statement. "A ruling in favor of Evenwel would deny us fair representation in government and leave approximately 55 percent of Latinos unrepresented and affect many other groups -- eroding Latinos', Asian-Americans', and African-Americans' political power."

Prior to the oral arguments, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus gathered outside the Supreme Court. CHC Chairwoman Linda Sanchez said Evenwel's case goes against the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, and "simply doesn't make sense. Sanchez said she and the CHC "will not stand for these radical attempts to undermine Latinos."

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said the case sends a message to millions of Americans that they do not count.

"We should encourage folks to participate in the electoral process, not strip them of their representation. Those pushing this case support changes that contradict the Constitution and the spirit of our democratic process. Everyone counts in this nation, and our election laws should reflect that."

A decision on the case is expected in 2016.

To read the oral arguments transcript, click here.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.