Texas Map Blocked

A federal court blocked Texas from using a new Republican-drawn congressional map.

Context

Every 10 years, states redraw their congressional district lines based on census data. President Trump this summer pushed Texas to take the unusual step of redrawing its map in the middle of the decade, years before the next census. Texas became the first state to do so, sparking a nationwide redistricting battle between Republicans and Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans currently hold a narrow 219-214 majority in the US House of Representatives.

Alleged Gerrymandering

On Tuesday, a three-judge federal panel in El Paso issued a 2-1 ruling that blocked the new map and ordered Texas to use the congressional map it drew in 2021 for next year's elections. 

The court said that Texas had racially gerrymandered the new map, meaning the state drew district lines based on race rather than purely political considerations. A district judge, who was appointed by Trump, wrote that the case involved "much more than just politics" and cited "substantial evidence" of racial gerrymandering.

How Districts Changed 

The new map reduced from 16 to 14 the number of congressional districts where minorities make up a majority of voting-age citizens. It eliminated five of nine "coalition" districts, where no single racial or ethnic group has a majority, but minorities together outnumber white voters. 

Civil rights groups argued the changes violated the federal Voting Rights Act and the Constitution by diluting the voting power of black and Hispanic voters. Five of six Democratic lawmakers drawn into districts with other incumbents were black or Hispanic.

Appeal Plans

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said the state would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Abbott said in a statement that the Legislature redrew the map "to better reflect Texans' conservative voting preferences" and called claims of racial discrimination "absurd."

The ruling is a major setback for Texas Republicans, who had hoped the new map would help them expand their slim majority in the State House. The decision also represents a significant victory for Texas Democrats, who will likely keep the seats they could have lost.