Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Ruling on Texas Congressional Redistricting

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court's ruling that found Texas' 2026 congressional redistricting plan likely discriminates based on race. Justice Samuel Alito signed the order, which will remain in effect for the next few days as the Court considers whether to allow the new map to be used in the upcoming midterm elections.

The lower court's decision, issued by a three-judge panel in El Paso, determined that the redistricting plan, which aimed to provide Republicans with five additional House seats, was likely unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering. The panel's majority stated, "Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, arguing that the redistricting was conducted for partisan purposes and did not violate constitutional provisions. He expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would uphold Texas's right to engage in partisan redistricting.

The Supreme Court's intervention comes amid a broader national debate over redistricting practices, with similar legal challenges occurring in states like Alabama and Louisiana. The Court's conservative majority has previously blocked lower court rulings on redistricting that were issued close to upcoming elections.

If the Supreme Court ultimately upholds the lower court's ruling, Texas may be required to use the congressional map drawn by the GOP-controlled Legislature in 2021, based on the 2020 census, for the 2026 elections.