Federal judges block Texas congressional map, citing likely racial gerrymandering

A panel of three federal judges ruled Tuesday that Texas cannot use a new congressional map drawn by Republicans for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, issuing a preliminary injunction against the plan.

The judges stated that the state must instead use the previously approved 2021 maps, concluding that the plaintiffs, who include the League of United Latin American Citizens, are "likely to prove at trial that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map."

The ruling, issued in El Paso, Texas, noted that while politics played a role in drawing the map, "Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the new map into law on August 29, following an acrimonious voting process. The map was designed to flip several Democratic-held seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to Republican control, potentially adding five Republican districts. Republicans currently control 25 of Texas' 38 seats in the House under the 2021 map.

The effort in Texas was part of an expanding national battle over redistricting, which was strongly endorsed by President Donald Trump. Authorities said the President had pushed GOP lawmakers in multiple states to redraw their maps in hopes of preserving the party's slim House majority in the potentially difficult 2026 midterms.

Texas was the first state to meet these demands, and Missouri and North Carolina subsequently followed suit, adding one Republican seat each through new maps. Democratic-held states, such as California, have also planned retaliatory measures to redraw congressional voting lines to counter the Republican moves.

The decision is considered a blow to the national Republican redistricting strategy. However, the verdict is widely expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, which is broadly seen as having a conservative majority of judges, meaning the final status of the map remains uncertain.