Texas’ new congressional map can be used, Supreme Court rules
The Texas Tribune • • nation
Key Points:
- The U.S. Supreme Court has permanently cleared Texas’ newly redrawn congressional map for use, overturning a lower court ruling that found the map racially discriminatory.
- The ruling ensures the map will be used for the 2026 midterms and future elections, ending a legal battle over Texas’ mid-decade redistricting effort aimed at adding up to five Republican seats.
- The redistricting was pushed by former President Trump to strengthen the GOP’s narrow majority, but faced opposition from Texas Democrats who initially fled the state to block the map’s passage.
- Civil rights groups challenged the map as racially gerrymandered, with a Trump-appointed judge agreeing in a detailed opinion, but the Supreme Court blocked that ruling, with dissent from Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson.
- While Republicans celebrated the decision, Democrats warn the map’s advantage may be weakened by shifting Latino voter preferences and counteractions by other states like California and Virginia.
