AT A GLANCE
• The Supreme Court temporarily reinstated Texas’ 2025 congressional map despite a lower-court ruling calling it a likely racial gerrymander.
• Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative stay, giving the Court time to decide which map Texas can use for the 2026 midterms.
• Civil rights groups argue the GOP-favored map was engineered to dilute the voting power of voters of color.
• Texas faces a tight December 8 candidate filing deadline, adding pressure for a fast Supreme Court decision.
Temporary Order Keeps In Place GOP-Leaning Map Backed By Trump As Legal Battles Over Racial Gerrymandering Continue
Texas is once again operating under its 2025 congressional map after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito temporarily blocked a lower-court ruling that would have forced the state to revert to its 2021 boundaries. The move keeps the Republican-leaning map alive as legal fights over racial gerrymandering intensify in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections.
Alito’s administrative stay arrived late Friday, pausing a three-judge panel’s decision from earlier in the week and giving the full Court room to determine which map Texas is allowed to use as litigation continues. He also ordered civil rights groups challenging the map to file their response by Monday at 5 p.m., signaling a rapid timeline from the justices.
The pause follows a major setback for Texas Republicans on Tuesday, when a federal panel in El Paso blocked the new map in a 2–1 ruling. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, appointed by former President Donald Trump, wrote that “substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map.”
The 160-page opinion ordered the state to return to its 2021 congressional lines while the case proceeded. Fifth Circuit Judge Jerry Smith issued a sharply worded dissent.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately vowed to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court, arguing the state holds sovereign authority to draw maps for partisan advantage. Paxton said he expects the Court to uphold Texas’ right to engage in partisan redistricting.
The battle over Texas’ congressional lines is part of a broader nationwide push to redraw political boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterms, breaking from the usual once-a-decade cycle tied to the census.
President Donald Trump pressured GOP-led states over the summer to alter maps before the next election. Texas lawmakers produced a map expected to add up to five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House. Paxton framed Friday’s temporary reinstatement as a win, saying his office looks forward to pressing the case on the merits.
Elsewhere, Republican lawmakers in Indiana rejected Trump’s push to redraw their map, while California voters approved their own sweeping overhaul expected to flip several GOP seats and spark new legal challenges.
The Supreme Court is already weighing another major case that could affect redistricting nationwide. In October, the justices heard arguments over Louisiana’s post-census congressional map after a group of white voters claimed a second majority-Black district violated equal-protection guarantees. A ruling expected next summer could influence the Texas dispute and others like it.
Candidate filing deadlines are approaching quickly. Texas emphasized in its petition that the December 8 cutoff is nearing, creating added urgency for the Court to act.
For now, Texas can proceed with the GOP-favored 2025 map. Whether the justices ultimately allow it to stand is a decision that could reshape congressional power for years.
