Supreme Court Blocks Texas 2026 Redistricting Map Amid GOP Push

The United States Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that challenged Texas’ new congressional redistricting map for the 2026 elections. The high court’s order, signed by Justice Samuel Alito on Friday, will remain in effect for several days while justices consider whether the Republican-favored map can be used in next year’s midterm elections.

Texas redrew its congressional districts in August 2025 to help Republicans secure additional seats in the House of Representatives, a move aligned with former President Donald Trump’s strategy to maintain a slim Republican majority. The redistricting plan was designed to give the Republican Party five extra House seats, but civil rights groups challenged the map, claiming it discriminates against Black and Hispanic voters.

A panel of federal judges in El Paso had ruled 2-1 that the challengers were likely to succeed, noting that the new map could be racially discriminatory and in violation of the US Constitution. As a result, the state temporarily returned to using its 2025 congressional map while the legal battle continues.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton supported the Supreme Court’s temporary hold, calling the lower court ruling an attempt by “radical left-wing activists” to disrupt the Republican agenda. “I am fighting to stop this blatant attempt to upend our political system,” Paxton said in a social media post.

This redistricting dispute is part of a broader national battle over congressional maps. Missouri and North Carolina have also released new maps favoring Republicans, while California voters recently approved a ballot initiative that would give Democrats additional seats.

The legal fight in Texas highlights the ongoing debate over gerrymandering, the practice of redrawing electoral district boundaries to favor one political party. While the Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering cannot be challenged in federal courts, maps that discriminate based on race remain illegal under the US Constitution, specifically the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and the 15th Amendment’s voting rights protections.

As the 2026 midterms approach, the final decision on Texas’ redistricting map could significantly influence the balance of power in the House of Representatives and shape national politics for the coming years.