Overview
- In an unsigned 6–3 order, the Court temporarily reinstated Texas’s mid‑decade congressional map after a lower court found it likely relied on race, citing timing pressures and deference to state decisions.
- Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, wrote that the Texas map’s impetus was partisan advantage and explicitly likened it to California’s voter‑approved plan.
- Legal experts say the decision makes the Justice Department’s case against California’s map an uphill battle, with a district court hearing scheduled for December 15.
- Social‑media exchanges followed the ruling, as Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the decision and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office and the DOJ’s official account traded barbs on X.
- Both parties are moving to maximize favorable districts before the 2026 midterms, with projections that the Texas and California plans could each tilt up to five U.S. House seats.