Supreme Court weighs in on TX congressional map. What it means for 2026 election
Texas’ new congressional map that positions Republicans to pick up five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives can remain in place, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday.
In the Fort Worth area, the decision means Congressional District 33 represented by U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, who didn’t seek reelection, will remain fully within Dallas County and outside Tarrant County.
The court ruled on Dec. 4 that the map could be used for the 2026 midterms, siding with the state after a lower court in El Paso blocked the new boundaries just days before. The lower court found that “substantial evidence” that the 2025 map was racially gerrymandered, but the Supreme Court said the decision to block the map was erroneous.
Monday’s order reaffirms the Supreme Court’s December opinion, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting.
The ruling is a win for Republican state officials and a loss for the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches and elected officials who sued over the new boundaries.
“Radical left-wing groups attempted to sabotage Texas’s lawful redistricting efforts, but the Supreme Court’s ruling is a clear rejection of these meritless attacks and a victory for the rule of law,” Texas Attorney General Paxton said in a Monday statement. “Texas’s congressional map is lawful, constitutional, and reflects the will of our citizens, and I will continue to aggressively defend its use ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.”
House Democrats broke quorum during a 2025 special legislative sessions to try and stop Texas’ mid-decade congressional redistricting. Redistricting is typically done every 10 years, aligning with the latest U.S. Census.
“As much as this decision stings, Greg Abbott should not confuse this ruling for a victory,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a Monday statement. “When we broke quorum last year, Texas House Democrats forced his power grab into the open. Now, California and Virginia have answered and leveled the playing field, and Democrats across the country are still fighting back. Trump and Abbott may have found six justices willing to excuse this scheme — he has not found a way to make it right, nor a way to win.”
Abbott responded to Wu’s statement on social media: “Cry harder,” Abbott said on X.
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 3:25 PM.
