Federal judges in El Paso have ruled that Texas cannot use its newly drawn 2025 congressional map for the 2026 election, ordering instead that the state revert to its 2021 district lines. The case is rooted in a lawsuit brought by civil-rights organizations and minority voters who argue that the 2025 map was racially gerrymandered — designed to dilute the political power of Black and Hispanic Texans in favor of Republicans. The ruling is a major blow to Republicans, who had pushed for the map during a special legislative session in order to secure up to five additional GOP-leaning districts.

Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, a Trump appointee, wrote the majority opinion, joined by another judge, while a third dissented. Brown acknowledged that politics played a role in the map’s creation but concluded that “substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.” He pointed to legislative statements and the way district lines were redrawn as evidence that race — not just partisanship — was a driving factor. The court’s decision mandates use of the 2021 map for next year’s congressional elections.

Time is of the essence: the candidate filing deadline for the 2026 election is December 8, and much hinges on which map will be used.  The tight timeline complicates matters for prospective candidates who need to know which districts they are running in.  Meanwhile, Texas officials quickly declared their intent to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The plaintiffs — including civil-rights groups like the NAACP — argued before the court that the 2025 redistricting plan disproportionately weakened minority influence by eliminating coalition districts, where no single racial group is a majority but minorities together outnumber non-Hispanic whites. The judges agreed that the map “likely will be proved” to be unconstitutional under the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.

On the other side, Texas Republican leaders defended the map as a legitimate partisan redraw — not driven by race — aiming to reflect Texans’ conservative voting patterns. Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have argued that the ruling undermines the legislature’s authority to draw maps. Still, the court rejected their defense in this ruling, signaling serious concern about racial motivations in the redistricting process.

With the injunction in place, Texas is required to use the 2021 map in the 2026 election unless and until the Supreme Court allows the 2025 map to go into effect.  If the higher court intervenes and grants a stay, the 2025 map could be used temporarily — dramatically affecting how candidates align, where they file, and which voters will be in their districts.