WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a lower-court ruling that found Texas’ 2026 congressional redistricting plan likely discriminates on the basis of race. The order, signed by Justice Samuel Alito, will remain in place at least for the next few days while the court considers whether to allow the new, Republican-favored map to be used in next year’s midterm elections.
The conservative majority on the court has previously blocked similar lower-court rulings that came close to elections. The stay followed a request from Texas to the high court to avoid confusion as congressional primary elections approach in March. Alito signed the order because he handles emergency appeals from Texas.
Texas redrew its congressional map in the summer as part of then-President Trump’s efforts to preserve a narrow Republican majority in the House, engineering the map to give Republicans five additional seats. A three-judge federal panel in El Paso ruled 2-1 this week that civil rights groups challenging the map on behalf of Black and Hispanic voters were likely to win their case. If that ruling is ultimately upheld, Texas could be required to hold elections under the map the GOP-controlled Legislature drew in 2021 based on the 2020 census.
Texas was the first state to adopt a map under Trump’s push; Missouri and North Carolina followed with maps aimed at adding one Republican seat each. California voters approved a ballot initiative intended to net Democrats five additional seats. The new maps are facing legal challenges in California, Missouri and North Carolina.
Separately, the Supreme Court is considering a Louisiana case that could further limit the use of race in drawing districts under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It remains unclear how that decision would affect the current round of redistricting.