Trendpills
A three-judge federal panel has blocked Texas from using its new congressional map in the 2026 midterm elections, ruling that the Republican-drawn districts likely constitute an illegal racial gerrymander. The state immediately announced its intention to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, setting up a high-stakes legal battle with a tight deadline, as candidates have until December 8 to file for the upcoming races.
The 2-1 decision orders Texas to revert to the congressional map enacted in 2021. In the majority opinion, U.S. Judge Jeffrey Brown, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, wrote that while politics played a role, there was more at play. "Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map," the ruling stated, concluding that civil rights groups were likely to succeed in their full lawsuit. The controversial map was created through a mid-decade redistricting plan intended to give Republicans a significant advantage.
The ruling is seen as a setback to a broader national strategy by Republicans to protect their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. The proposed map was projected to increase the number of GOP-held seats in Texas from 25 to 30 out of 38, a move prompted by calls from former President Trump to maximize partisan gains. This has been part of a national trend, with states like California pursuing retaliatory measures to create more Democratic-leaning districts.
State officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, have defended the map, arguing its purpose was purely partisan—a practice the Supreme Court has previously allowed—and not discriminatory. Abbott called the court's decision "clearly erroneous" and stated, "The Legislature redrew our congressional maps to better reflect Texans' conservative voting preferences – and for no other reason." However, challengers argued that the map deliberately diluted the voting power of Black and Hispanic Texans by dismantling several "coalition districts" where minority groups form a collective majority. While Republicans defended the map’s legality, the court found that lawmakers improperly used racial data.
The case now heads to the Supreme Court, where the state will seek an emergency stay to pause the lower court's ruling and allow the new map to be used pending a full appeal. The high court's decision on the stay, and eventually on the merits of the case, will determine the landscape of the 2026 congressional elections in Texas.
