The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that controversial electoral maps drawn up by Texas' Republican legislature are legal to use in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
According to the new order, "The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections."
Last month, that lower court halted the use of the new maps after finding that state lawmakers likely engaged in unconstitutional racial gerrymandering to create them. Texas swiftly appealed to the Supreme Court.
Now, with the Supreme Court's latest order, those maps are expected to be used when Texas votes in next year's midterm elections.
The ruling was 6-3, with the court's three liberal justices dissenting.
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The maps, pushed by President Donald Trump, were designed to give Republicans an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections and could help the party pick up as many as five seats.
"The Legislature redrew our congressional maps to better reflect Texans' conservative voting preferences – and for no other reason," Gov. Abbott said. "Any claim that these maps are discriminatory is absurd and unsupported by the testimony offered during ten days of hearings."
