Overview
- After a nine-day October hearing in El Paso, a three-judge panel ruled 2-1, with Judges Jeffrey Brown and David Guaderrama in the majority and Judge Jerry Smith dissenting.
- The majority said substantial evidence shows Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map, citing directives tied to a July DOJ letter and efforts to dismantle coalition districts.
- The preliminary injunction bars use of the new map in 2026 and requires the state to conduct the election under the 2021 congressional lines while the case proceeds.
- Texas can appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, creating urgent timing pressures as the primary candidate filing deadline is Dec. 8.
- Republican leaders advanced the mid-decade map in August to try to add up to five GOP-leaning seats, prompting national countermoves including California’s voter-approved remap.