Supreme Court Upholds Gerrymandered Texas Congressional Map

Texas' newly redrawn congressional map is officially cleared for use, after the U.S. Supreme Court formally overturned a lower court's ruling Monday.

In November, the high court allowed the map to be used temporarily. Monday's ruling maintains that status quo permanently, ensuring the new lines will be used for the 2026 midterms and going forward. The ruling ends the lengthy legal battle over Texas' efforts to add as many as five more Republican seats to the U.S. House.

Texas took up this unusual mid-decade redistricting effort over the summer, after President Donald Trump pushed the state to help shore up the GOP's narrow majority in what is expected to be a difficult midterm election for the party. The effort drew significant pushback, including from state House Democrats, who left Texas to temporarily deny the chamber the headcount needed to pass the map.

After the Democrats returned, the map passed, and legal challenges immediately followed. Several civil rights groups who were in active litigation over Texas' 2021 maps sued again, saying the 2025 map was racially discriminatory.