Texas — The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Texas to move forward with a new congressional district map drawn to boost Republican representation in the 2026 midterms. The 6–3 ruling granted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency request to pause a lower court decision that found the map unconstitutional for using race as a factor in redistricting.
The unsigned order said Texas is “likely to succeed” in defending the map, adding that the lower court failed to give proper weight to the Legislature’s “presumption of good faith.” The challenged map was crafted to add as many as five additional Republican seats. While no party disputes its partisan intent, the lower court concluded GOP lawmakers, encouraged by the Trump administration, shifted minority voters in ways that gave race an improper role.
Justice Elena Kagan dissented, writing that the ruling undermines the district court’s detailed findings and “disserves the millions of Texans” placed in districts based on race. Justice Samuel Alito countered that challengers did not present a viable alternative map showing partisanship—not race—could achieve the same result.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hailed the decision as a “massive win,” while Democrats criticized it as further erosion of voting protections. The case unfolds as several states redraw maps following pressure from President Trump to reconfigure congressional boundaries outside the standard post-census cycle.
Multiple civil rights groups, including LULAC and the Texas NAACP, are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
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