The Supreme Court of the United States has paused a lower court’s order in Texas that overturned new voting maps.
This week, a panel of three federal judges in the Western District of Texas struck down Texas’s redistricting maps. The panel ruled 2-1. Then, Texas appealed to the nation's top court on Friday.
The court will issue a response by Monday, Justice Samuel Alito, the associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, said in the Friday order.
“IT IS ORDERED that the November 18, 2025, order of the United States District Court is hereby administratively stayed pending further order of the undersigned or the of the Court. It is further ordered that a response to the application be filed on or before Monday, November 24, 2025, by 5 p.m. (EST).
Good news: SCOTUS just put a stay on the injunction against Texas’ new congressional maps. pic.twitter.com/ZXXqJLRtBq
— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) November 22, 2025
BREAKING: In response to our filing, the Supreme Court just granted an administrative stay—temporarily stopping the district court's injunction against Texas's map.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) November 22, 2025
We look forward to continuing to press forward in our case on the merits. https://t.co/0iG1VbWiIn
🚨MAJOR BREAKING: The U.S. Supreme Court IMMEDIATELY OVERTURNS activist judge ruling that struck down Texas' new Republican-friendly 2026 Congressional map
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 22, 2025
Justice SAM ALITO issued the order. The map is BACK, for now, while SCOTUS formally considers the appeal.
Great news. Now… pic.twitter.com/llagJPQMZ2
BREAKING: Justice Alito has temporarily blocked the Texas redistricting court's order, effectively restoring the newly drawn map, while the Supreme Court considers the petition. https://t.co/veRz3x35Qy pic.twitter.com/bFW3AcA16w
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) November 22, 2025
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the Supreme Court of the United States to block the lower court's ruling that tossed newly approved redistricting maps.
“Radical left-wing activists are abusing the judicial system to derail the Republican agenda and steal the U.S. House for Democrats. I am fighting to stop this blatant attempt to upend our political system,” Attorney General Paxton said in a statement. “Texas engaged in partisan redistricting solely to secure more Republican seats in Congress and thereby better represent our state and Texans. For years, Democrats have aggressively gerrymandered their states and only cry foul and hurl baseless ‘racism’ accusations because they are losing.”
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 had written 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."
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.
President Donald Trump has urged Red states to redistrict to take more seats in the U.S. House.