The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a lower court injunction blocking Texas’ new congressional map, handing a victory to Republican-led state officials ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The decision allows Texas to proceed with its redistricting plan after a divided three-judge District Court previously ruled that the map was likely drawn with an impermissible racial motive and barred its use in the upcoming election cycle.
In its order, the Court pointed to its earlier reasoning in Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citizens, and said Texas was likely to succeed on the merits of its appeal. The justices cited concerns that the lower court failed to apply a presumption of legislative good faith when evaluating the evidence and did not properly weigh claims made against the state.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the Court’s summary reversal.
