Federal Judges Block New Congressional Map in Texas

Texas cannot use a new congressional map drawn by Republicans in hopes of securing the party additional US House seats, a panel of three federal judges ruled Tuesday. The ruling is a blow to President Trump's efforts to have GOP lawmakers in multiple states redraw their maps to help the party preserve its slim House majority in the 2026 midterms, per the AP.

• "The public perception of this case is that it's about politics," the ruling states. "To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."
• The 2-1 decision followed a nearly two-week trial in El Paso, Texas. One judge was appointed by Trump, another by Republican President Ronald Reagan, and one by Democratic President Barack Obama.

• A coalition of civil rights groups representing Black and Hispanic voters argued the map reduced the influence of minority voters, making it a racial gerrymander that violates the federal Voting Rights Act and the US Constitution. They sought an order blocking Texas from using the map while their case proceeded, which would force the state to use the map drawn by the GOP-controlled Legislature in 2021 for next year's elections. The panel of judges granted the critics' request.
• It was not immediately clear if state Republicans would have enough time to restore the map before the 2026 election, per the Texas Tribune.
• Texas this summer was the first state to meet Trump's demands in what has become an expanding national battle over redistricting. Republicans drew the state's new map to give the GOP five additional seats, and Missouri and North Carolina followed with new maps adding an additional Republican seat each. To counter those moves, California voters approved a ballot initiative to give Democrats an additional five seats there.