Overview
- An El Paso-based three-judge federal panel ruled 2–1 to bar Texas from using its 2025 congressional plan, with Judges Jeffrey V. Brown and David Guaderrama in the majority and Judge Jerry Smith dissenting.
- The court concluded there is substantial evidence the 2025 map relied on race in ways likely to dilute Black and Latino voting power in violation of voting-rights protections.
- Texas was directed to run the 2026 elections under the post-2020 map adopted in 2021 unless a higher court intervenes.
- Governor Greg Abbott said the state will appeal and defended the redraw as a partisan effort, signaling a likely request for Supreme Court review.
- The blocked plan was designed to yield up to five additional Republican-leaning seats, reflecting a broader national fight over maps in states such as Missouri, North Carolina, and California.