The US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Texas to use redrawn congressional districts for the 2026 midterm elections, boosting the hopes of President Donald Trump’s Republicans to retain control of the House of Representatives.
The push by Texas – which carves out five more Republican-friendly districts and came at the behest of Trump – kicked off a series of similar efforts in states around the country.
The decision by the conservative-dominated high court stayed a lower ruling which had said the redrawn maps had incorrectly used race to set district lines.
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“Texas needs certainty on which map will govern the 2026 midterm elections, so I will not delay the Court’s order,” Justice Samuel Alito, one of six conservatives on the bench, wrote in his concurring opinion.
The three liberal justices all dissented with the order, which was unsigned.
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“The District Court conducted a nine-day hearing … And after considering all the evidence, it held that the answer was clear. Texas largely divided its citizens along racial lines to create its new pro-Republican House map,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissent.