Overview
- U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, joined by Judge David Guaderrama, issued the majority ruling after a nearly two‑week October hearing in El Paso, with Judge Jerry Smith dissenting.
- The preliminary injunction bars Texas from implementing the 2025 map and requires use of the 2021 congressional districts for the 2026 election while the case proceeds.
- Republican lawmakers, encouraged by President Donald Trump, enacted the mid‑decade map to create up to five additional GOP‑leaning House seats.
- The court concluded race predominated over partisanship in the line‑drawing, citing the dismantling of coalition districts and criticizing reliance on a DOJ letter that misstated their legality.
- Texas can appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Dec. 8 candidate filing deadline for the March primary intensifies the time pressure.