The Supreme Court reinstated Texas’s redrawn congressional map Monday, resulting in a huge win for Republicans, which could help them keep control of Congress.
The map was originally redrawn in August 2025 at the behest of President Donald Trump to add up to five additional House seats for the GOP as they head into a critical midterm election cycle this November.
It was instantly met with legal challenges, with a lower court issuing an injunction blocking the new map.
In December, the Supreme Court stepped in and issued a stay, keeping the map in place until a final ruling could be issued.
The justices initially faulted the lower court for committing “serious errors,” the main one being that it “failed to honor the presumption of legislative good faith by constructing ambiguous direct and circumstantial evidence against the legislature.”
Monday’s 6-3 vote reversing the lower court ruling fell along ideological lines, with the conservative justices ruling in the state’s favor, and the three liberal justices dissenting, according to Reuters.
🚨 In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court reversed a ruling that struck down the new Texas congressional map as a racial gerrymander, citing its December stay of that ruling. pic.twitter.com/n36tocZHnM
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) April 27, 2026
This news comes just days after Virginia Democrats were slapped with an injunction for trying to redraw their state’s congressional districts to offset potential Republican gains.
Virginia Democrats currently hold a 6-5 seat edge, but redrew their districts to form an 11-1 advantage. Liberal lawmakers relied on state voters to amend the constitution so they could make the change.
After the measure barely passed with just over 51 percent, Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley issued an injunction, concluding, “Any and all votes for or against the proposed constitutional amendment in the April 21, 2026, special election are ineffective.”
5 districts in Virginia now start in this circle…
Tentacles from DC reaching across the state. pic.twitter.com/Ek4InrNcxl
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) April 22, 2026
Hurley said that the referendum sought to change congressional districts through a constitutional amendment, but the amendment was taken up during a special legislative session to address budget issues, which is not permitted under Virginia law without a two-thirds vote of the legislature.
In addition, the amendment must be approved by two separate votes of the legislature, with an election between the votes. Early voting in last fall’s election was already underway when the proposed amendment passed the legislature.
Trump publicly criticized the Virginia vote for being “rigged,” adding that late mail-in ballots tipped the scales.
“A RIGGED ELECTION TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT IN THE GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA!” the commander in chief wrote on Truth Social Wednesday.
“All day long Republicans were winning, the Spirit was unbelievable, until the very end when, of course, there was a massive ‘Mail In Ballot Drop!’ Where have I heard that before — And the Democrats eked out another Crooked Victory!”
Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he expects the state Supreme Court to uphold Hurley’s decision 7-0.
“There are some very basic processes in the Constitution for amending the Constitution that they ignored,” he explained. “They [the Democrats] were ignoring the will of the people in how they brought this forward. And now we’re going to have this decided in the Virginia Supreme Court. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 7-0 ruling throwing this out.”
When Texas redrew its maps early, it triggered a redistricting arms race, with California jumping in first.
The California Legislature had to sidestep an independent redistricting commission by proposing a ballot initiative known as Proposition 50, which would amend the constitution and allow a new map favoring Democrats.
It was overwhelmingly approved by voters and later upheld by the Supreme Court, SCOTUS Blog reported.
Other red states like Missouri, Ohio, Utah, and the swing state of North Carolina have redrawn their maps, too, according to Ballotpedia.
States like Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, and Washington state are still considering changes.
Each state’s laws — and constitutions — are different, however, with some allowing for early redistricting and others having mechanisms to prevent it.
Republicans currently enjoy a favorable Senate map for the upcoming midterms, but their majority in the House remains razor-thin.
Democrats would only need to flip a handful of seats to gain control of the chamber, making every district a must-win for both sides.
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