US Supreme Court gives green light to new Texas congressional districts for 2026 | Eastern NC Now

The US Supreme Court has dissolved a district court injunction and allowed the 2026 election to proceed based on the new districts drawn by the Texas legislature in a mid-term redistricting.  The new districts will end five racially gerrymandered Democrat distircts.

The Texas redistricting was a result of a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that struck down a presumed requirement to draw majority minority districts anywhere they could be drawn based on using a combination of minorities.  It required some creative gerrymandering to create such districts which then tended to be Democrat safe seats.  Freed by the courts of this requirement, Texas eliminated that gerrymander and redrew its districts based on normal standards of compactness.  The Democrat howled about losing their safe seats and set off on a national bout of retaliation.

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/supreme-court-approves-texass-congressional-map-redraw

Another case expected to be decided soon by the US Supreme Court is expected to strike down ALL racially based redistricting, which could upend about 20 safe Democrat seats in the South.  Several states have already put the machinery in motion to redistrict once freed of the requirement to racially gerrymander for one race.

The 5th Circuit case in Texas involved a county commission district in a Texas county, but the principle applied to all districts.  The Supreme Court refused to take up a further appeal, signalling their approval of the circuit court rulings.  The issue there was whether it was necessary to draw a district with a majority of minority voters if that required combining two different minorities, in that case blacks and Hispanics.  The court ruled that was not necessary, so the Texas legislature redistricted to reflect this court ruling.

The Louisiana case now before the SCOTUS concerns whether it is required to draw a majority district for minority voters for just one minority.  Based on oral arguments, it is believed that the Supreme Court will rule that this is not required and amounts to illegal racial discrimination.  It is thought Democrats on the court are slow walking their dissent in order to try to get this decision late enough that it will not impact the 2026 election, because it would blow up about 20 Democrat safe seats.