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Supreme court restores Texas voting map favoring Republicans
The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated a controversial Texas congressional map designed to strengthen Republican prospects in the 2026 midterm elections. The decision, issued Thursday by the court’s conservative majority, reverses a lower court ruling that found the map likely violated constitutional protections against racial discrimination.
The map, approved by Texas lawmakers in August and supported by former President Donald Trump, could shift up to five U.S. House seats from Democrats to Republicans. State officials argued that the redesign reflects Texas's political landscape, while critics say the plan deliberately dilutes minority voting power.
In its brief opinion, the Supreme Court said the lower court “improperly inserted itself” into ongoing primary preparations and failed to require challengers to propose an alternative map that aligned with the state’s partisan objectives. The order came without a noted author, though the court’s three liberal justices issued a strong dissent.
Justice Elena Kagan warned that the ruling would place thousands of Texans into districts shaped by race rather than legitimate political factors, calling the outcome “a violation of the Constitution.” She stressed that the lower court, led by a judge appointed by Trump, had thoroughly examined the evidence before blocking the map.
The ruling has intensified nationwide battles over redistricting. California, governed by Democrats, recently adopted a new map expected to benefit its party, prompting a lawsuit from the Trump administration. Other states—including Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland—are also advancing new congressional boundaries as both parties seek structural advantages ahead of 2026.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hailed the Supreme Court’s decision as a “massive win” for conservatives. Democratic lawmakers, however, condemned the ruling as a setback for voting rights, arguing that minority communities are being placed at a political disadvantage.
Redistricting, a once-per-decade process based on census data, has become increasingly polarized. While the Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering cannot be challenged in federal court, race-based gerrymandering remains unconstitutional. Civil rights groups, including the NAACP, point out that although only 40% of Texas's population is white, white voters hold more than 70% of the state's congressional representation.