Texas is urging the Supreme Court to restore its Republican-drawn congressional map, arguing that a lower court blocked it too close to key election deadlines.
The emergency appeal arrives as the justices are already juggling redistricting disputes from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Dakota — all of which touch on the future of the Voting Rights Act.
In the Texas case, the core dispute centers on timing.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott argues the lower court waited too long to halt the map as a likely racial gerrymander. He cites the Purcell principle, a doctrine discouraging courts from altering election rules close to an election.
"Nor was there any good reason for throwing the State's congressional elections into disarray," the state wrote, warning that candidates face a Dec. 8 filing deadline.
Some campaigns say they are unsure where to run or where to knock on doors.
One group of GOP candidates told the court that "the 2026 election is well underway" and that significant money has already been spent campaigning under the challenged lines.
Challengers counter that no deadlines need to move.
The Texas NAACP argued that "the sky is not about to fall in Texas," noting the older map had been used before and could be used again without disruption.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito temporarily reinstated the GOP map while the full court considers the matter.
The court has leaned on the Purcell principle repeatedly in recent years.
Before the 2022 midterms, the justices allowed Republican maps in Alabama and Louisiana to remain in place, even though lower courts ruled they diluted Black voting power under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
After the election, the Supreme Court ultimately agreed the Alabama map was unlawful, forcing both states to redraw their lines.
Those battles have returned to the high court.
In Louisiana, justices heard reargument in October after a new challenge claimed the revised map unconstitutionally used race when creating an additional majority-Black district. A ruling is expected by early summer.
In Alabama, Republicans are asking the Supreme Court to review a lower-court decision that imposed a map adding a second majority-Black district. The high court has not yet decided whether to take the case.
The justices are also weighing whether private groups can bring Section 2 lawsuits at all. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that two Native American tribes cannot sue North Dakota over its state legislative map, a decision now being appealed to the Supreme Court.
Mississippi officials are likewise asking the Supreme Court to intervene after a different court allowed the NAACP's redistricting challenge there.
The high court has taken no action on these petitions so far.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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