Tipsheet

Texas Judge Writes Scathing Dissent in Texas Redistricting Ruling

Scott McClallen
Scott McClallen  |  November 19, 2025 6:02 PM

This week, a panel of three federal judges in the Western District of Texas struck down Texas’s proposed redistricting maps.

The panel ruled 2-1. If the ruling stands, then Texas must use redistricting maps from 2021. 

Circuit Judge Jerry E. Smith wrote a scathing 104-page dissent. Smith accused U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown of "pernicious judicial misbehavior." Smith claimed that the ruling was a byproduct of "judicial activism."


 Texas  by  scott.mcclallen 


“In 37 years as a federal judge, I’ve served on hundreds of three-judge panels," Smith wrote. "This is the most blatant exercise of judicial activism that I have ever witnessed.” 

He later continued:  “The main winners from Judge Brown’s opinion are George Soros and Gavin Newsom. The obvious losers are the People of Texas and the Rule of Law.” 

In November, California voters passed Proposal 50, which aims to give Democrats more seats in the U.S. House. The Department of Justice has sued and asked a court to toss the proposal. The lawsuit claims that the California redistricting maps use race as a proxy to advance political interests.

Both parties are trying to gain an advantage in the U.S House. President Trump has called on Indiana Republicans to redistrict the state and add two more Republican seats, but it's unclear if Indiana lawmakers have the votes. Republicans currently hold majorities in the House and Senate.