The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Texas to use a new congressional map that will boost President Donald Trump’s effort to keep Republicans in control of the House. The unsigned order blocks a lower court ruling that found the new lines were likely unconstitutional because they appeared to be drawn based on race.
The Supreme Court’s decision could have major implications for next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of the House for the final two years of Trump’s presidency, CNN reported.
Had the map been blocked, it would have upended Trump’s nationwide push to avoid a Democratic majority.
The court said the lower court likely erred by failing to honor what it called “the presumption of legislative good faith by construing ambiguous direct and circumstantial evidence against the legislature.”
The justices also said the lower court violated the “Purcell principle,” which generally warns federal courts against making late changes to election rules.
“The District Court violated that rule here,” the court said. “The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections.”
Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, wrote separately that it was “indisputable” the map was adopted for “partisan advantage pure and simple.”
He said that if the map was drawn for political reasons rather than racial ones, federal courts would have no jurisdiction to intervene.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan dissented, writing that the ruling “disserves the millions of Texans whom the District Court found were assigned to their new districts based on their race.”
Kagan wrote that the majority “loses sight of its proper role” and should have reviewed the lower court for “clear error.”
She argued the court could only reach this result by “arrogating to itself that court’s rightful function.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the ruling, calling the map a “massive win for Texas and every conservative who is tired of watching the left try to upend the political system with bogus lawsuits.”
“The Big Beautiful Map will be in effect for 2026,” Paxton said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the ruling meant “Texas is officially — and legally — more red.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the decision on X, writing, “Federal courts have no right to interfere with a State’s decision to redraw legislative maps for partisan reasons.”
Democrats sharply criticized the ruling.
Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu said, “The Supreme Court failed Texas voters today, and they failed American democracy.”
Damon Hewitt, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, called the ruling “a serious blow to people of color in Texas.”
“Here we are with an election around the corner and the Supreme Court is allowing Texas to use these sinister maps,” Hewitt said.
Texas officials had argued they needed urgent relief because candidate filing deadlines are imminent and the primary is approaching.
The new map is expected to flip as many as five Democratic-held seats to Republicans.
Republicans currently hold a three-seat majority, making those potential flips significant.
The case became entangled with race after a Justice Department letter urged Texas to redraw districts it said were “unconstitutional.”
Gov. Abbott publicly cited the DOJ letter and race concerns when directing lawmakers to redraw the map.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown wrote that the governor “explicitly directed the legislature to redistrict based on race.”
Texas asked the Supreme Court to intervene, claiming the lower court’s decision created “chaos.”
Alito issued a temporary administrative stay before the full court ruled.
Six plaintiff groups urged the court not to rush.
The Texas NAACP said the state could have avoided the controversy “simply by following the law.”
Legal challenges to mid-decade redistricting in Texas, California, and other states will continue in the coming weeks.
The Justice Department recently sued California officials over maps meant to help Democrats, with arguments scheduled next month.