In a ruling on Tuesday (November 18), a three-judge panel in Texas, United States, consisting of federal judges, prohibited the use of the newly drawn congressional map favoring the Republican Party in the 2026 midterm elections in the state. The reason cited was that the map likely unfairly divided the districts. Texas Governor Greg Abbott opposed this decision and swiftly filed an appeal notice to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The panel voted 2-1 in favor of the ruling, requiring Texas Republicans to revert to the congressional map used earlier this year before the redistricting. With the new map, Republicans stand a chance to gain five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 elections, which would contribute to maintaining and expanding the Republican majority in the House.
The case involves the Voting Rights Act and districting issues, and under legal provisions, it required a special three-judge panel to make the ruling. Of the three judges, two were federal district court judges – Jeffrey V. Brown, appointed by President Trump during his first term, and David C. Guaderrama, appointed by former Democratic President Obama – who voted against the new Texas congressional map. The third judge, Jerry E. Smith, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, appointed by former Republican President Reagan, voted in favor.
The ruling on Tuesday stated that Texas’ new congressional map was a result of Governor Abbott’s “clear directive to the legislature to redraw based on race,” thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the provision protecting voting rights from racial discrimination.
Abbott swiftly filed an appeal notice with the U.S. Supreme Court regarding this decision. In a statement, he said, “Any claims that these maps are discriminatory are absurd, and the testimony provided during the ten-day hearing does not support such claims. The ruling is clearly erroneous and imposing a different map through judicial order undermines the power granted to the Texas legislature by the U.S. Constitution.”
In August this year, there was a fierce standoff in Texas between the two parties over redistricting. To prevent the Republican-led state legislature from passing a redistricting bill, Democratic members of the state House collectively walked out for two weeks. The bill would potentially allow Republicans to gain five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms.
The Texas incident has triggered a nationwide battle over congressional redistricting, with California being prominently involved. Governor Gavin Newsom of California vowed to push through a redistricting map in California to secure five U.S. congressional seats for the Democratic Party, equaling the number of Republican seats Texas aims to increase in retaliation for the Republican actions.
The redistricting battle is also ongoing in some other states, including Missouri, Utah, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and more, where both parties are locked in disputes in state legislatures or courts over newly approved or proposed congressional maps.