Federal Court blocks Texas's redesigned congressional map
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Nov 19, 2025, 20:52 IST
Three federal judges together decided that the Texas 2025 redistricting plan is likely a racial gerrymander in violation of the Constitution. The court prohibited the use of this plan in the 2026 midterm elections and thus gave effect to the 2021 map, which led to a Supreme Court appeal.
TL;DR
Federal judges struck down Texas's 2025 congressional map for racial bias and directed the state to revert to its 2021 district lines. The ruling was supported by civil rights groups while the state's officials promised to take the case to a higher court.
A trio of federal judges based in El Paso has prevented Texas from employing its redrawn 2025 congressional map for the 2026 U.S. House elections. They have found that the map is likely a case of racial gerrymandering. The court has directed the state to use the district lines from 2021 for the next local elections.
Judges See Plenty of Proof that the Action was Racially Motivated
In a 2-1 decision, Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, who got the support of another judge as well, wrote: "there is a substantial amount of evidence showing that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map." The judge, who disagreed with the opinion, was appointed by a previous Republican administration.
The court remarked that Texas Governor Greg Abbott and others were vocally advocating for the removal of "coalition districts" that were based on Black and Hispanic voters. The judges also cited in their opinion a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division of July, which is headed by Harmeet Dhillon. The letter indicated that these four coalition districts were the districts that, among the four, had the most significant violations of the Voting Rights Act.
Impact Minority Representation
The 2025 lawsuit stemmed from the redistricting scheme which intended to cut down the majority-minority districts (i.e., districts with a non-white majority of voting-age citizens) from 16 to 14, that is, a reduction by two. The court has found that five out of the nine coalitions districts have been removed, therefore their powers possibly being diluted.
An ensemble of civil rights organizations led by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which filed an amicus brief in the case, hailed the decision as a victory for the resumption of the constitutional rights. In their joint statement, they claimed that the court strengthened the standard that race cannot be the primary factor when delineating political districts.
Republican Reaction and Next Steps
By referring to the decision as a "clear error", Governor Abbott basically condemned the court's ruling and maintained that the map was drawn solely for a partisan purpose and not for a racial one. On his part, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, responding to the verdict, promised to bring the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Broader Implications in National Redistricting Fight
The decision is a major defeat for the Republican party who are pushing (along with ex-President Donald Trump) for the advantage of congressional seats through the aggressive reshapement of districts in the middle of the decade in a number of states. Other states besides Texas have been subjected to legal challenges regarding the way their redistricting has been carried out.
Should the court support the ruling that also caused the 2022 and 2024 elections, the Texas midterm elections of 2026 will be held according to the 2021 district plan.
FAQs
Federal judges struck down Texas's 2025 congressional map for racial bias and directed the state to revert to its 2021 district lines. The ruling was supported by civil rights groups while the state's officials promised to take the case to a higher court.
A trio of federal judges based in El Paso has prevented Texas from employing its redrawn 2025 congressional map for the 2026 U.S. House elections. They have found that the map is likely a case of racial gerrymandering. The court has directed the state to use the district lines from 2021 for the next local elections.
Judges See Plenty of Proof that the Action was Racially Motivated
In a 2-1 decision, Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, who got the support of another judge as well, wrote: "there is a substantial amount of evidence showing that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map." The judge, who disagreed with the opinion, was appointed by a previous Republican administration.
The court remarked that Texas Governor Greg Abbott and others were vocally advocating for the removal of "coalition districts" that were based on Black and Hispanic voters. The judges also cited in their opinion a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division of July, which is headed by Harmeet Dhillon. The letter indicated that these four coalition districts were the districts that, among the four, had the most significant violations of the Voting Rights Act.
Impact Minority Representation
The 2025 lawsuit stemmed from the redistricting scheme which intended to cut down the majority-minority districts (i.e., districts with a non-white majority of voting-age citizens) from 16 to 14, that is, a reduction by two. The court has found that five out of the nine coalitions districts have been removed, therefore their powers possibly being diluted.
An ensemble of civil rights organizations led by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which filed an amicus brief in the case, hailed the decision as a victory for the resumption of the constitutional rights. In their joint statement, they claimed that the court strengthened the standard that race cannot be the primary factor when delineating political districts.
Republican Reaction and Next Steps
By referring to the decision as a "clear error", Governor Abbott basically condemned the court's ruling and maintained that the map was drawn solely for a partisan purpose and not for a racial one. On his part, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, responding to the verdict, promised to bring the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Broader Implications in National Redistricting Fight
The decision is a major defeat for the Republican party who are pushing (along with ex-President Donald Trump) for the advantage of congressional seats through the aggressive reshapement of districts in the middle of the decade in a number of states. Other states besides Texas have been subjected to legal challenges regarding the way their redistricting has been carried out.
Should the court support the ruling that also caused the 2022 and 2024 elections, the Texas midterm elections of 2026 will be held according to the 2021 district plan.
FAQs
- Why did the court block the 2025 map?
Evidence of "substantial evidence" was the main reason for the court's ruling against the 2025 map since it pointed to racial considerations as being involved in the creation of the map, thus making it very likely to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. - Is there going to be a petition to the Supreme Court?
Yes. There is already a record of appeal filed by Texas, and state officials are confident of their position in front of the Supreme Court.