The US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Texas to implement its newly redrawn congressional districts for the 2026 midterm elections, boosting President Donald Trump’s GOP hopes of retaining control of the House of Representatives, according to AFP.
A redistricting effort in Texas that added five Republican-friendly districts and was reportedly supported by Trump has sparked similar initiatives in other states.
The decision by the conservative-majority Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that found the new maps improperly took race into account when determining district boundaries.
Justice Samuel Alito, one of six conservatives on the Supreme Court, wrote in his concurring opinion, “Texas needs certainty on which map will govern the 2026 midterm elections, so I will not delay the court’s decision.”
Three liberal justices dissented from the unsigned order. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote: “The district court conducted a nine-day hearing…And after weighing all the evidence, it determined that the answer is clear. Texas has largely divided its citizens along racial lines to create its new pro-Republican House map.”
What does this mean for Republicans?
Texas plays a critical role in Trump’s strategy to reshape the U.S. House of Representatives map in an effort to secure a fragile Republican majority for the second half of his presidency. Democrats need to flip only a few congressional seats to control the House, and historically the opposition party tends to gain ground in midterm elections, especially when the president’s approval ratings are low, as they are currently for Trump, The Guardian report noted.
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While redistricting typically follows census results in a new decade, Texas Republicans’ decision to pursue aggressive mid-cycle redistricting earlier this summer prompted similar moves in other states.
Republicans in Texas, North Carolina and Missouri enacted new maps that could create up to seven GOP-leaning seats. Democrats responded with new maps in California, where Republicans and Trump’s Justice Department are challenging the map in court, and in Virginia, potentially offsetting Republican gains.
Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of the state’s GOP. In a statement reported by the AP, Paxton said the order “defends the fundamental right of Texas to draw a map that ensures we are represented by Republicans.”
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He declared, “Texas is paving the way as we take our country back, county by county, state by state.”
“We won! Texas is officially – and legally – redder,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on X.
In celebrating the decision, Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi noted that a federal district court has “no right to interfere with a state’s decision to redraw legislative maps for partisan reasons.”
(With input from agencies)
Key things
- Texas plays a critical role in Trump’s strategy to reshape the U.S. House of Representatives map in an effort to secure a fragile Republican majority for the second half of his presidency.
- The decision by the conservative-majority Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that found the new maps improperly took race into account when determining district boundaries.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of the state’s Republican Party.
