Federal judges block Texas from using its new US House map in the 2026 midterms
JOHN HANNA
Updated Tue, November 18, 2025 at 12:15 PM CST
AUSTIN, TEXAS - AUGUST 07: Sen. Phil King (R-TX) displays a map during a Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting public testimony hearing on August 07, 2025 in Austin, Texas. The Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting met to hear public testimony on Congressional plan C2308. Earlier this week, Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state in an attempt to protest and deny quorum for votes on the proposed Republican redistricting plan, which would secure five additional GOP seats in the U.S. House. Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to remove lawmakers who do not return and has asked the Texas Supreme Court to expel House Democratic leaders who fled the state. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(Brandon Bell via Getty Images)
FILE - The State Capitol is seen in Austin, Texas, on June 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Texas Democratic Lawmakers Flee State In Effort To Halt Redistricting Legislation
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AUSTIN, TEXAS - AUGUST 07: Sen. Phil King (R-TX) displays a map during a Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting public testimony hearing on August 07, 2025 in Austin, Texas. The Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting met to hear public testimony on Congressional plan C2308. Earlier this week, Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state in an attempt to protest and deny quorum for votes on the proposed Republican redistricting plan, which would secure five additional GOP seats in the U.S. House. Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to remove lawmakers who do not return and has asked the Texas Supreme Court to expel House Democratic leaders who fled the state. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(Brandon Bell via Getty Images)More
A federal court on Tuesday blocked Texas from using
a redrawn U.S. House map that touched off a nationwide redistricting battle and is a major piece of President Donald Trump’s efforts to preserve a slim Republican majority ahead of the 2026 elections.
The ruling is a blow to Trump's rush to create a more favorable political landscape for Republicans in next year's midterms, at least for now. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed a swift appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and defended the map that was engineered to give Republicans five additional House seats.
But in a 2-1 ruling, a panel of federal judges in El Paso sided with opponents who argued that Texas' unusual summer redrawing of congressional districts would harm Black and Hispanic residents. The decision was authored by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, who was nominated to the bench by Trump during his first term.