WASHINGTON — Texas won’t be able to use its newly redrawn congressional map adding five more Republican-leaning seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections after a panel of federal judges ruled the boundaries amount to an illegal race-based gerrymander.
In a 2-1 ruling on Tuesday, the court ruled that the Lone Star State must instead use its previous map that was approved in 2021. The decision deals a major blow to the Trump administration, which has been pushing GOP-led states to redraw their congressional maps ahead of next November to ensure Republicans can maintain their slim majorities in Congress.
“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,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Trump-appointed attorney, wrote for the panel majority.
The decision is likely to be appealed by Texas Republicans, although the ruling is already being praised by Democrats.
“Texas Republicans tried to rig the system, silence voters of color, and divide the communities they couldn’t win outright. The court saw right through it,” Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, whose seat was made more Republican-leaning, said in a statement. “By rejecting these maps, the court stopped a blatant power grab that would have stripped representation from thousands of Texans.”
Although the initial five-seat gain in Texas was considered a major win for Republicans, it was quickly neutralized after California approved a ballot initiative during its special election in November to enact a new 2026 map with five additional Democratic-leaning seats — canceling out Texas’ efforts.
President Donald Trump has since pushed other states to make their maps more palatable for Republicans. Some states such as Missouri and North Carolina have already made adjustments to give Republicans the upper hand, although some of those changes are being challenged in court.
The ruling comes as a plurality of voters nationwide say they disapprove of state legislatures redrawing congressional boundaries for political advantages ahead of the midterm elections, according to a new Deseret News poll conducted by Morning Consult. About 43% of registered voters say they disapprove compared to 33% who say they approve of the practice.
Another 25% said they didn’t know.
Those numbers are even higher in Utah where 44% of voters say they disapprove of the practice compared to just 28% who say they approve, the poll showed. Another 27% said they didn’t know.
The poll was conducted between Nov. 8-12, during which a Utah judge chose a new map in the Beehive State for next November solidifying one strong Democratic-leaning district.
The Utah statewide poll surveyed 607 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The national survey contained answers from 1,745 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.