On November 18, 2025, a three-judge federal panel in El Paso blocked Texas from using its newly redrawn U.S. House map in the 2026 midterms, finding the plan was likely a racial gerrymander and directing the state to revert to its 2021 districts while appeals proceed.
A divided three-judge court ruled 2–1 that Texas’ 2025 congressional map cannot be used next year, concluding that race—not only politics—predominated the mid‑decade redraw. The majority said plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their racial‑gerrymandering claims and ordered the state to default to the 2021 map for the 2026 elections unless a higher court intervenes. According to the Associated Press, the opinion was authored by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, a Trump appointee, and joined by Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama, an Obama appointee; Fifth Circuit Judge Jerry E. Smith, a Reagan appointee, dissented. (AP)
The 160‑page opinion focuses heavily on a July letter from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under President Donald Trump. Harmeet Dhillon, then the division’s chief, told Texas officials that four congressional districts with non‑white majorities were unconstitutional “coalition districts” that should be dismantled. Judge Brown called DOJ’s assertion “legally incorrect” and criticized the letter as riddled with “factual, legal, and typographical errors,” noting that state leaders cited it when adding redistricting to a special legislative session and when directing lawmakers to redraw districts “based on race.” (AP; ABC17 News)
Case and panel details
- The ruling came in League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. Abbott, one of several consolidated challenges to Texas’ congressional plans. ACLU and other civil‑rights groups filed amicus briefs supporting an injunction. (ACLU; American Redistricting Project)
- The panel held nearly two weeks of hearings in El Paso in October before issuing Tuesday’s order. (AP)
What the 2025 map would have done
- Republicans designed the mid‑decade map to add up to five GOP‑leaning seats, in part by eliminating five “coalition” districts where minority groups together form a majority of the voting‑age population. The plan also would have reduced the number of districts where minorities are a majority of voting‑age citizens from 16 to 14. (AP)
- Texas Republicans argued the redraw was a permissible partisan gerrymander; the court said substantial evidence showed racial sorting drove key line‑drawing decisions. (AP; Reuters)
How Texas got here
- Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session on July 9, 2025, soon after DOJ’s letter, and Democrats later broke quorum by leaving the state before ultimately returning as the map advanced. (Texas Governor’s office; Washington Post/AP; Texas Tribune)
- The DOJ letter relied on the Fifth Circuit’s 2024 en banc decision in Petteway v. Galveston County, which held that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act does not require “coalition districts.” The court in Tuesday’s ruling said Texas misread Petteway as a command to dismantle such districts and, in any event, used race impermissibly to do so. (Washington Post; Texas Tribune; Politico 2024)
Reactions and next steps
- Abbott called the ruling “clearly erroneous,” saying the Legislature redrew maps “to better reflect Texans’ conservative voting preferences — and for no other reason,” and vowed a swift appeal. Texas can appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. (AP/Washington Post)
- Daily Wire reported that Rep. Greg Casar (D‑Texas), whose district was targeted in the redraw, said, “The Trump‑Abbott maps are clearly illegal… If this decision stands, I look forward to running for reelection in my current district.” (Daily Wire)
National stakes
- The decision is a setback for a broader mid‑decade redistricting push encouraged by Trump in GOP‑led states. In Indiana, Republicans have recently backed away from holding a special session after internal resistance, despite White House pressure. (Reuters; AP)
- In response to GOP moves, California voters earlier this month approved Proposition 50, a ballot measure adopting a new congressional map that analysts say could net Democrats up to five seats; the Trump Justice Department has joined a lawsuit challenging that plan as a racial gerrymander. (AP; Reuters; Los Angeles Times)
Election calendar pressure
- Texas officials warned of tight timelines. Candidate filing for the March 3, 2026 primary runs through 6 p.m. on December 8, 2025, raising the stakes of any request for a stay from the Supreme Court. (Texas Secretary of State)
What’s unchanged — and what’s next
- Tuesday’s order does not permanently resolve the merits; it preserves the status quo while litigation continues. Unless the Supreme Court stays the injunction or reverses, Texas will use its 2021 congressional lines in 2026. Appeals are expected imminently, and the Court’s rulings in related redistricting cases this term could shape the outcome here as well. (AP; Reuters)
