Texas Gov. Greg Abbott slammed a decision Tuesday by a federal court in El Paso that blocked the state from adopting the new congressional map passed by the Legislature, which would have given Republicans several more seats.
"The Legislature redrew our congressional maps to better reflect Texans' conservative voting preferences -- and for no other reason. Any claim that these maps are discriminatory is absurd and unsupported by the testimony offered during ten days of hearings," Abbott wrote.
The judges determined the map intentionally targeted Black and Hispanic voters in a way that would dilute their voting power, violating the federal Voting Rights Act.
"The public perception of this case is that it's about politics. 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," the majority on the three-judge panel wrote.
Abbott said his administration will immediately challenge the ruling.
"This ruling is clearly erroneous and undermines the authority the U.S. Constitution assigns to the Texas Legislature by imposing a different map by judicial edict. The State of Texas will swiftly appeal to the United States Supreme Court," the governor added.
President Donald Trump sparked a nationwide redistricting battle earlier in the year by urging Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps to gain more seats. In response, Democrats in California and Republicans in Missouri passed their own redistricting plans, each designed to boost their party's representation in the House.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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