AUSTIN (October 19, 2012)--Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott formally filed an appeal Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court asking for approval of the state's Republican-drawn voting maps.

The state's appeal Friday had been expected since a lower federal court in August threw out the maps passed by the Texas Legislature last year.

A three-judge panel in Washington ruled that those maps violated the Voting Rights Act and discriminated against minorities.

In a 49-page appeal, the state asked the high court to set oral arguments for this term so that Texas might be able to use the rejected maps in 2014.

The appeal has no bearing on the November elections.

The state for now is using temporary maps drawn by another federal court in San Antonio.