Texas Scores Supreme Court Win on Disputed Election Map

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared Texas to use its new congressional map in the 2026 midterm elections, reversing a lower court ruling that had blocked the plan. 

The unsigned order, first posted by a Politico reporter on X, stated that Texas would likely prevail in its argument that “The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections.”

Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, wrote in a concurring opinion that “the impetus for the adoption of the Texas map (like the map subsequently adopted in California) was partisan advantage pure and simple.”

Texas Leaders Reaction

Texas officials welcomed the decision, with Attorney General Ken Paxton calling the ruling a victory. In a statement he wrote the “Big Beautiful Map will be in effect for 2026” and asserted that “Texas is paving the way as we take our country back, district by district, state by state.”

Gov. Greg Abbott posted on X, “We won! … Texas is officially — and legally — more red.”

The Supreme Court’s action overturns a November 18 ruling from a three-judge panel that found, according to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, that “substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.” 

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Brown and Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama formed the majority; U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry E. Smith dissented. The state appealed immediately to the Supreme Court.

In a separate November 21 statement, Paxton argued that “Texas engaged in partisan redistricting solely to secure more Republican seats in Congress,” while accusing Democrats of raising “baseless ‘racism’ accusations.”

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin criticized the Supreme Court decision as “wrong both morally and legally,” saying it delivered “a rigged map to help Republicans avoid accountability in the midterms.”

The legal fight overlapped with candidate filing for the 2026 March primaries, open from November 8 to December 8. 

In a November 24 filing, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and other local officials urged the Supreme Court to allow the new map, calling the lower court’s ruling “legally incoherent and unworkable.”