Tipsheet

SCOTUS Upholds New Texas Redistricting Map

Scott McClallen
Scott McClallen  |  December 04, 2025 6:46 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court has approved Texas’s redistricting maps in a 6-3 decision.

The League of United Latin American Citizens had challenged the new maps that would likely give several seats to Republicans in the 2026 midterm election. 

A divided three-judge panel had enjoined Texas from using the maps, and Texas appealed and won. 

Justice Thomas and Justice Gorsuch concurred with Justice Alito to grant the application for a stay. 

Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson dissented. 

The 20-page ruling said that the District Court had erred when it blocked the new map. 

“Texas is likely to succeed on the merits of its claim that the District Court committed at least two serious errors," the nation's top court wrote. "First, the District Court failed to honor the presumption of legislative good faith by construing ambiguous direct and circumstantial evidence against the legislature.”

The ruling said that lower federal courts shouldn't ordinarily alter election rules before an election. 

"The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections," the ruling said. 

It continued:

"Although respondents’ experts could have easily produced such a map if that were possible, they did not, giving rise to a strong inference that the State’s map was indeed based on partisanship, not race. Neither the duration of the District Court’s hearing nor the length of its majority opinion provides an excuse for failing to apply the correct legal standards as set out clearly in our case law."


 SCOTUS  by  scott.mcclallen 


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton welcomed the win. 

“In the face of Democrats’ attempt to abuse the judicial system to steal the U.S. House, I have defended Texas’s fundamental right to draw a map that ensures we are represented by Republicans," Paxton said in a statement. "The Big Beautiful Map will be in effect for 2026,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Texas is paving the way as we take our country back, district by district, state by state. This map reflects the political climate of our state and is a massive win for Texas and every conservative who is tired of watching the left try to upend the political system with bogus lawsuits.” 

The ruling might give Republicans an advantage in the 2026 midterms, but California is redistricting as well. 

The Department of Justice has challenged California's redistricting process.