How the Supreme Court could affect the 2026 midterm elections
The Supreme Court has ruled that Texas can use a congressional map drawn to favor Republicans, and other states are now following suit.
Democrats in the Texas Legislature are reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval of the state’s redrawn 2025 congressional map supported by the state’s Republican Party.
The ruling, handed down on Monday morning, April 27, in a dissenting opinion by Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, concluded that efforts by Texas lawmakers to approve the map were ineffective after President Trump asked Congress to flip five House seats to Republicans.
Texas Republican state lawmakers have begun an effort to redraw the map in 2025, but the state House Democrats flee to thwart the process. However, the map was ultimately passed and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Immediately after the bill was passed, the League of United Latin American Citizens filed a lawsuit against the redrawn maps, and a lower court ruled in their favor. However, in December 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the lower court’s case was inappropriate because it was too close to the 2026 election.
This allowed the state to use the map while the justices considered the issue. Monday’s ruling cemented its use.
Texas Democratic Party speaks out against Supreme Court ruling
Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu, the House Minority Leader, said in a statement on behalf of the state’s House Democratic Caucus that the Supreme Court did not uphold the Constitution, but rather a “racial map” that usurped seats, weakened the voting power of Blacks and Latinos, and allowed Republicans to maintain control of Congress.
“While this verdict is painful, Greg Abbott should not confuse it with a victory,” the statement read. “When they broke the quorum last year, Texas House Democrats forced his power grab into the light. Now, California and Virginia have leveled the playing field in response, and Democrats across the country are still fighting back. Trump and Abbott may have found six justices willing to let this plan go, but he hasn’t found a way to fix it or win.”
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder also issued a statement agreeing with Wu’s statement that the map was designed to weaken the voices of Black and Latino Americans in the state and protect Texas Republicans and Trump from “accountability.”
“This was not a normal redistricting exercise, but a mid-decade attempt to change the rules, rig the system, and allow Republicans to handpick voters rather than voters choosing their own representatives,” Scudder’s statement said. “If the system is stacked, the answer is clear: Just organize, act, and win.”
Mateo Rosiles is a Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and local Texas newspapers. Do you have any news tips for him? Email us at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
