In another blow to President Trump's redistricting plans ahead of the 2026 midterms, a federal court panel on Tuesday rejected Texas' newly-redrawn congressional map and ruled the state must use a map created by legislators back in 2021. The 2-1 decision followed a two-week trial in El Paso, Texas, pitting the League of United Latin American Citizens against Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
The Texas ruling comes on the heels of last week's decision by District Court Judge Dianna Gibson to throw out Utah's redrawn map in favor of one drawn up by the plaintiffs, the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government, which created a congressional district favorable to Democrats. Republicans had hoped their new map would yield one new seat for their side, which currently holds an extremely narrow 219-215 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In issuing their ruling, the Texas judges stated, "The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics. To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."
READ MORE: A Utah Judge Just Handed Democrats a Massive Redistricting Win
'A Monumental Betrayal': Indiana Republicans Fold Like a Cheap Suit, Defy Trump on Redistricting
They are, of course, referring to President Trump's push to secure additional House seats – and retain the GOP's majority – ahead of the 2026 elections. Texas was the centerpiece of that plan, with the Lone Star State's now-rejected boundaries expected to add up to five additional seats for Republicans. The GOP currently holds 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats
The Texas lawsuit was brought by a coalition of civil rights organizations representing black and Hispanic voters, which argued that the redrawn boundaries were "a racial gerrymander that violates the federal Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution."
And the court – made up of Obama appointee David Guaderrama and Trump appointee Jeffrey Brown in the majority, and Reagan appointee Jerry Smith in dissent – issued a ruling that agreed with them. Judge Brown, the Trump appointee based out of Galveston, wrote for the majority: "The map ultimately passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor — the 2025 Map — achieved all but one of the racial objectives that DOJ demanded."
Democrats are applauding the decision, with one, Democrat state Rep. Gene Wu, commenting, "A federal court just stopped one of the most brazen attempts to steal our democracy that Texas has ever seen."
In addition to the setbacks in Texas and Utah, President Trump is also facing redistricting opposition in Indiana. As RedState previously reported, the state's Republican Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said the GOP-controlled upper chamber does not have the votes to move ahead with redistricting at a special session that was going to be held in December. A glimmer of hope, however, emerged Monday when Trump posted to social media that he was working with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, a fellow Republican, "on picking up two Republican Congressional seats."
Republicans are expected to appeal Tuesday's ruling, so this could get caught up in the courts for a while. The White House has yet to comment on the federal court's decision.
Update:
As anticipated, Governor Greg Abbott's office has issued a statement indicating the State of Texas will be appealing the ruling directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
This is a developing story. Be sure to check back on the latest in President Trump's redistricting battle.
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