A federal three-judge panel has blocked Texas' 2025 congressional map, finding it likely to be an unlawful, race-based gerrymander after the plan shifted five districts to favor Republicans. In a 2-1 ruling, the court ordered Texas to revert to the 2021 district boundaries while the case proceeds. The majority noted the plan appeared driven by the Trump administration and said it met nearly all the racial objectives reportedly sought by the DOJ; Republicans plan to appeal.
Federal Judges Block Texas' 2025 Congressional Map, Calling It a Likely Race-Based Gerrymander
A federal three-judge panel has blocked Texas' 2025 congressional map, finding it likely to be an unlawful, race-based gerrymander after the plan shifted five districts to favor Republicans. In a 2-1 ruling, the court ordered Texas to revert to the 2021 district boundaries while the case proceeds. The majority noted the plan appeared driven by the Trump administration and said it met nearly all the racial objectives reportedly sought by the DOJ; Republicans plan to appeal.
01:10 AM, 11/19/2025Politics
Federal judges block Texas' 2025 congressional map
A three-judge federal panel has temporarily blocked Texas' newly adopted congressional map — the so-called 2025 Map — finding it likely to be an unlawful, race-based gerrymander after shifting five districts to favor Republicans. In a 2-1 decision, the court ordered Texas to revert to the district boundaries drawn in 2021 while the legal challenge proceeds.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Galveston-based Trump appointee, wrote for the majority that the 2025 Map “achieved all but one of the racial objectives that DOJ demanded.” The panel also noted that the plan appeared to have been developed at the urging of the Trump administration.
The ruling is a significant setback for the White House's nationwide push to influence redistricting. Texas' five-seat shift would have represented the largest partisan gain from recent map changes; Republican officials have said they will appeal the decision immediately.
What happens next: The injunction requires the state to use the 2021 district lines while the courts decide whether the new map violates the Constitution. An appeal to a higher federal court is expected.
Why it matters: If courts ultimately find the map unconstitutional, it could curtail similar race-based or highly partisan redistricting efforts elsewhere and sharpen judicial scrutiny of how race and partisan objectives are balanced in mapmaking.