by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News November 18, 2025
A panel of federal judges on Tuesday blocked Texas from using its new congressional map.
In what could be a huge blow to Republicans retaining control of the House in the 2026 midterms, the judges in a 2-1 ruling said the map appeared to constitute an illegal, race-based gerrymander.
The new map passed by the Republican majority in the Texas legislature would have given the GOP up to five additional House seats.
“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Trump appointee, wrote for the majority.
“To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map,” he continued. “But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.”
Brown was joined in the decision by U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama, an Obama appointee.
U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee, dissented.
Tuesday’s ruling requires Texas lawmakers to revert to a congressional map that the state legislature adopted in 2021.
If Tuesday’s ruling is appealed, it would be sent directly to the U.S. Supreme Court for review.
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