Category: Gerrymander
Justice Alito delivers win to Texas GOP, temporarily restores Republican congressional map
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered Texas Republicans some good news on Friday, temporarily reinstating the Republican-friendly congressional map they passed in August.
After Texas Republicans surmounted weeks of obstruction by their Democratic colleagues, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ultimately signed the “One Big Beautiful Map into law” on Aug. 29, leaving the Lone Star Sate with a congressional map that could net the GOP five extra seats in the midterm elections.
‘Radical left-wing activists are abusing the judicial system to derail the Republican agenda and steal the U.S. House.’
However, the adoption of the new map prompted hand-wringing among liberals and a successful Democratic gerrymandering campaign in California — as well as a legal challenge from several race-based groups of plaintiffs led by the League of United Latin American Citizens.
The plaintiffs alleged in their complaint that the map was the result of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering and asked a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to block use of the map for the 2026 elections.
The court on Tuesday ruled 2-1 in favor of the liberal advocacy groups, finding that the challengers likely would be able to prove that it was racially gerrymandered.
RELATED: Yet another state’s districts found to be racist, resulting in new map for 2026 midterms
Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” wrote Judge Jeffrey Brown in the ruling. “To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was among the liberals who celebrated the ruling, noting that “Donald Trump and Greg Abbott played with fire, got burned — and democracy won. This ruling is a win for Texas, and for every American who fights for free and fair elections.”
But the celebration proved premature as Abbott and other Texas officials promptly appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement, “Radical left-wing activists are abusing the judicial system to derail the Republican agenda and steal the U.S. House for Democrats. I am fighting to stop this blatant attempt to upend our political system.”
Justice Alito stayed the lower court’s ruling Friday and gave GOP map opponents until Monday to respond to his order.
The Republican map is back in play pending the outcome of the state’s appeal before the high court.
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Indiana governor fights back after Gavin Newsom plots to deliver Congress to Democrats
Indiana Governor Mike Braun (R) announced on Monday that he was calling a special legislative session “to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair.”
States across the country are set to redraw or at least reconsider their congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, where a Democratic gain of three seats would break the GOP’s hold on the House of Representatives.
‘The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise, or collapse at the very moment courage is required.’
After a great deal of hand-wringing about Texas Republicans’ successful adoption in August of a new congressional map that could net the GOP five extra seats, California Democrats responded with a new map that would create five new majority-Democrat districts should voters cast ballots in support of Proposition 50 on Nov. 4.
Among the other states that have looked at their respective maps with minds to help fellow travelers keep or take Congress are:
- Missouri, where Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe recently signed a new map into law;
- Kansas, where GOP state Senate President Ty Masterson announced on Monday that a sufficient number of signatures had been collected from Senate Republicans for a special session on redistricting;
- North Carolina, where last week the GOP-controlled legislature passed a new congressional map that could give Republicans an additional House seat; and
- Virginia, where Democratic lawmakers are reportedly preparing to launch a redistricting push this week.
Governor Braun indicated that the special legislative session for the Indiana General Assembly will convene on Nov. 3.
The governor’s announcement comes just days after a spokeswoman for Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray told Politico, “The votes aren’t there for redistricting.”
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Braun’s decision to set a date may be a sign of newfound intestinal fortitude among those remaining holdouts who have been under intense pressure not only from the White House but by fellow Indianans to play to win.
Even Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk threatened prior to his assassination to “support primary opponents for Republicans in the Indiana State Legislature who refuse to support the team and redraw the maps,” adding that “it’s time for Republicans to be TOUGH” and not to “let California steal the 2026 house from us.”
Indiana Sen. Jim Banks (R) noted in the wake of Kirk’s passing, “They killed Charlie Kirk — the least that we can do is go through a legal process and redistrict Indiana into a nine-to-zero map.”
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith (R) said in a statement on Wednesday, “The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise, or collapse at the very moment courage is required. Yet, here we are again. The Indiana Republican-controlled Senate is failing to stand with President Trump, failing to defend the voice of Hoosier voters, and failing to deliver the 9-0 conservative map our citizens overwhelmingly expect.”
Beckwith suggested that his colleagues rediscover their backbones, remember who elected them to office, and “reclaim Indiana’s rightful voice in Congress by drawing a 9-0 map.”
Following Braun’s announcement, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston (R) said in a statement obtained by WGN-TV, “We’ve received the Governor’s call for a special session and will continue having conversations within our caucus and with our counterparts in the Senate on our next steps.”
Following Braun’s announcement, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita indicated that he is ready to defend the new map in court once it “gets across the finish line.”
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