The judge ruled that the maps were substantially ‘racially gerrymandered.’
A panel of federal judges in Texas has ruled that the state’s new maps for electoral districts of the U.S. House of Representatives, redrawn between censuses in response to constitutional concerns raised by a letter from the Justice Department, are unconstitutional and cannot be enacted before the 2026 congressional elections.
“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,” wrote U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown in the 2-1 ruling.
“The Plaintiff Groups are likely to prove at trial that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map. So, we preliminarily enjoin Texas’s 2025 Map.”
The decision marks a loss for Republicans who have been looking to gain a seat advantage in the House of Representatives. However, the preliminary injunction will likely be appealed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
By Arjun Singh
