Appeals court upholds decision to deny Tarrant County redistricting injunction
The 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals upheld a ruling that denied a preliminary injunction request on the redrawn Tarrant County Commissioners Court precinct map.
The panel of three judges — Rhesa Barksdale, Don Willett and Stuart Kyle Duncan — were asked by plaintiffs to reconsider the Sept. 15 denial made by federal judge Reed O’Connor in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth.
Republicans are likely to gain a seat on the five-member court because of the new map. Whereas their majority is now 3-2, the November 2026 election may see Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons’ Precinct 2 seat flipped to a Republican.
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, an Arlington Republican, has announced he is running for the seat.
On June 4, the day after Tarrant County commissioners voted along party lines to enact the new map, a group of Latino and Black voters filed a lawsuit against the county, the Commissioners Court and County Judge Tim O’Hare. They claim the map is racially discriminatory and denies voters of color the right to vote when they were scheduled to under the previous map.
The new map moved many Precinct 2 residents into Precinct 1 and vice versa. Because half of the commissioners are elected in even years and the other half in odd years, residents who used to be in Precinct 2 and are now in Precinct 1 will not have the opportunity to vote in the March primary or the election in November 2026.
On Monday, the panel of judges heard arguments from Campaign Legal Center attorney Danielle Lang for the plaintiffs and Public Interest Legal Foundation’s J. Christian Adams representing the defendants. On Wednesday, the court announced the judges sided with Adams.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM.