🚨 Supreme Court Puts Hold on Texas Congressional Map Ruling
Texas’ controversial mid-decade redistricting plan is back in the spotlight. On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito temporarily blocked a lower court order that would have stopped Texas from rolling out its new congressional map, which aims to add five Republican seats in the House.
Alito didn’t explain his decision — the “administrative stay” simply freezes the current situation while the justices review the case. His order came less than an hour after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state lawyers filed an emergency petition asking the Supreme Court to preserve the map for the upcoming 2026 midterms.
Earlier this week, a Trump-appointed federal judge ruled the map an illegal racial gerrymander, citing a DOJ memo that referenced race as a key factor. Texas fired back, saying the ruling ignored legislative good faith and came too close to the 2026 election, potentially causing chaos for candidates who had already begun filing.
“Campaigning had already begun, candidates had filed, and early voting is just 91 days away,” Texas argued.
The state is asking the Supreme Court to let the 2025 map stay in effect by Dec. 1, keeping it in play for the midterms. The court has asked the plaintiffs to respond by Monday at 5 p.m.
The lower court decision, released earlier this week, rocked the national political landscape. Judge Jeffrey Brown concluded that Texas’ mid-decade redistricting was primarily based on race, targeting four Democrat-held districts, which federal law prohibits.
A dissenting judge, Jerry E. Smith, slammed the decision, calling it politically motivated by liberal donors and defended the map as a legal, partisan effort, not racial discrimination.
The battle now heads to the Supreme Court, where the fate of Texas’ 2025 map — and five Republican-leaning seats — hangs in the balance.
