Federal Court Blocks Texas' Redrawn Congressional Map for 2026 Midterms

A three-judge federal panel in El Paso, Texas, ruled on November 18, 2025, that the state cannot use its newly enacted congressional redistricting map for the 2026 midterm elections, ordering the use of the 2021 boundaries instead. The unanimous 2-1 decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown (a Trump appointee), U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama (an Obama appointee), and Fifth Circuit Judge Jerry Smith (a Reagan appointee, dissenting), found substantial evidence that Texas lawmakers racially gerrymandered the 2025 map in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The lawsuit, filed in August 2025 by advocacy groups including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Texas Civil Rights Project, challenged the map passed by the Republican-controlled legislature on August 21 and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Plaintiffs alleged the plan diluted the voting power of Black and Hispanic Texans by concentrating minority populations into fewer districts to favor GOP incumbents. Judge Brown, writing for the majority, stated, "Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map." He noted that while politics influenced the process, race predominated over traditional criteria like compactness and communities of interest, triggering strict scrutiny under Supreme Court precedents such as Miller v. Johnson (1995).

The redistricting stemmed from a July 2025 letter from the U.S. Department of Justice under President Trump's administration, directing Texas to eliminate four "coalition districts" where no single racial group held a majority, citing Voting Rights Act violations in the 2021 map. Abbott responded by convening a special session, resulting in a map that created 18 majority-Hispanic districts (up from 13) but allegedly cracked minority influence in suburban areas to protect five Republican seats. Brown criticized the DOJ letter as "factually, legally, and typographically riddled with errors," but emphasized Abbott's directive to "redistrict based on race" to comply, rendering the map unconstitutional.

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an immediate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, stating, "The Legislature redrew our congressional maps to better reflect Texans' conservative voting preferences—and for no other reason." The state argued the process was partisan, which federal courts cannot police per the Supreme Court's 2019 Rucho v. Common Cause ruling, but the panel determined racial intent tainted the entire effort. Dissenting Judge Smith is expected to file a separate opinion.

The ruling disrupts Republican plans to gain five House seats in Texas' 38 districts, where the GOP currently holds 25. It forces candidates to file under the 2021 map by the December 8 deadline, avoiding forced pairings like Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett in the same district. Rep. Casar (D-Austin) welcomed the decision, stating, "The Trump-Abbott maps are clearly illegal, and I'm glad these judges have blocked them." Gov. Abbott called the ruling "erroneous" and an "undermining of the Texas Legislature's authority."

This case is part of a mid-decade redistricting wave initiated by Texas Republicans at President Trump's urging in July 2025, the first since Reconstruction. Democratic states like California retaliated with their own maps, prompting a DOJ suit there on November 13. A Common Cause poll from October 2025 found 60% of voters oppose partisan mid-decade changes. The Supreme Court, which hears direct appeals in redistricting cases, could rule by mid-2026, but the decision stands for now, preserving the 2021 map for primaries beginning March 3.