In a 6–3 emergency decision on December 4, 2025, the Supreme Court overturned a lower-court order that had blocked Texas’s recently redrawn congressional map, which was found likely to be racially discriminatory. The Court’s majority said the lower court had improperly intervened during an active primary campaign and failed to give deference to the state legislature’s drawing of the map.
The revised map — enacted earlier in 2025 and signed into law by the state’s leadership — was drawn with the aim of shifting up to five U.S. House seats in favor of Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Under the previous map, several districts had coalition majorities (Black + Latino voters), but the new boundaries substantially reduce those coalition districts.
Supporters of the decision — including Texas officials — called it a win for state sovereignty and political representation aligned with voter preference. Detractors, including the Court’s dissenting justices, civil-rights advocates and Democratic leaders, condemned the ruling as a green light for partisan redistricting that undermines the voting power of minority communities and violates constitutional protections.
