Supreme Court Lets Texas Use GOP-Drafted Congressional Map for 2026 Elections

Overview

• The Court granted Texas’s request on Dec. 4 to reinstate the congressional map for the next cycle after a lower court in El Paso halted it.
• The decision reverses findings that the map was likely drawn with racial bias in violation of constitutional and voting-rights protections.
• News reports say the map could yield as many as five additional Republican-leaning House seats, complicating Democrats’ path to a majority in 2026.
• The redraw was promoted by President Donald Trump and supported by Governor Greg Abbott, and state officials pressed the emergency appeal.
• The majority faulted the district court for discounting legislative good faith and interfering with an active primary, as the case joins a broader wave of election-map litigation nationwide.