Federal court blocks new Texas congressional map favoring GOP

A panel of federal judges on Tuesday blocked Texas's new congressional map that would favor the GOP in next year's elections.

The panel ruled 2-1 that Texas Republicans must use the congressional map they had in place before they redistricted earlier this year, The Hill news outlet reported. The new map that was blocked would have given Republicans up to five U.S. House seats to pick up in 2026.  

“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Trump appointee, wrote for the majority.

“To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map,” he continued. “But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.”

Brown was joined in the decision by U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama, an Obama appointee.

U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee, dissented.