WASHINGTON (AP) — United States Supreme Court Temporarily blocked on Friday lower court A ruling found that President Donald Trump’s 2026 Texas state legislative redistricting plan is likely to discriminate on the basis of race.
The order, signed by Justice Samuel Alito, will remain in effect for at least the next few days while the court considers whether to allow the use of new maps favoring Republicans in the midterm elections.
The court’s conservative majority has blocked similar lower court rulings because the election is too close.
The order came about an hour after the state asked the high court to intervene to avoid chaos as March’s congressional primary elections approach. The justices recently blocked previous lower court rulings in congressional redistricting cases decided in Alabama and Louisiana months before the elections.
Alito signed the order because he is the judge presiding over the emergency appeal from Texas.
Texas redrawn its congressional maps over the summer. President Trump’s efforts Republicans will maintain a slim majority in the House of Representatives in next year’s elections, igniting a nationwide redistricting battle. The new districting map was created to give Republicans five more House seats, but a panel of federal judges in El Paso ruled Tuesday in a 2-1 decision that civil rights groups that challenged the map on behalf of black and Hispanic voters were likely to succeed.
If the ruling ultimately stands, Texas could be forced to hold elections next year using maps drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2021 based on the 2020 census.
Texas became the first state to comply with President Trump’s request under these circumstances. A growing nationwide battle Too much redistricting. Republicans drew a new map of the state to give Republicans five more seats. missouri and north carolina New maps were subsequently added, each adding a Republican seat. To counter these movements, California voters approve A ballot initiative that would give Democrats five more seats.
The redrawn maps are being challenged in court in California, Missouri, and North Carolina.
The Supreme Court is separately considering a Louisiana case that could impose further restrictions. District based on race Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It is not entirely clear how current redistricting will be affected by the outcome of the Louisiana case.
