AUSTIN — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the use of Texas’ newly redrawn congressional map in spite of claims by many Democrats and groups that the state’s redistricting efforts are racist.
The high court initially greenlighted use of the map in the 2026 elections back in December, leading Gov. Greg Abbott to declare victory.
Abbott
The governor believes the new congressional districts better align with Texas values in representation in Washington D.C.
Democratic and minority groups challenged the map, asserting that the redistricting was favorable to Republicans while unfavorable to minorities.
After a district court enjoined the use of the congressional map, Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which granted summary reversal.
Paxton
“Radical left-wing groups attempted to sabotage Texas’s lawful redistricting efforts, but the Supreme Court’s ruling is a clear rejection of these meritless attacks and a victory for the rule of law,” said Paxton. “Texas’s congressional map is lawful, constitutional, and reflects the will of our citizens, and I will continue to aggressively defend its use ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.”
In the initial challenge, two of three judges on the federal panel found that the map appeared to be an attempt at race-based gerrymandering, concluding that Texas needed to use district boundaries drawn by legislators in 2021.
Missouri and North Carolina also have passed maps that likely would add a Republican each. And California’s Proposition 50 countered Texas’ five GOP swing with five Democratic seats. Democrats also filed legal challenges in North Carolina and Missouri.
Ohio, which was legally required to redraw its map last year, saw a deal that could turn two Democratic seats over to the GOP, but Democrats say both districts will be competitive for the 2026 election.
Indiana lawmakers were also asked to draw a new map that would give the GOP two more districts, but state Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray refused to do so.
U.S. Supreme Court of Appeals case Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citizens (case number 25-845)
