On November 19, 2025, a federal court ruled against Texas' newly drawn congressional district map, which was designed to provide the Republican Party with five additional seats in the House of Representatives. The ruling, authored by Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, a conservative appointee of former President Donald Trump, characterized the redistricting effort as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The court found that the Texas Legislature intentionally drew district lines to discriminate against Black and Hispanic residents.

Judge Brown noted the involvement of the Trump administration's Department of Justice in introducing racial considerations into the redistricting process, describing it as a misguided attempt to justify the new maps. The case, LULAC v. Abbott, highlighted that while the Texas Legislature could have pursued a straightforward partisan gerrymander, it instead collaborated with the DOJ to manipulate congressional districts based on race, which is prohibited by the Supreme Court.

The redistricting effort stemmed from the Trump administration's push for mid-decade redistricting to enhance Republican representation ahead of the 2026 midterms. Initially, some Texas Republicans, including Governor Greg Abbott, hesitated about the potential backlash from a blatant partisan gerrymander. However, after receiving a letter from Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, claiming that existing congressional districts were unconstitutional due to racial discrimination, Abbott called a special session to expedite the redistricting process.

Voting rights advocates subsequently filed for an injunction against the new map, arguing that it violated the 14th and 15th amendments by intentionally discriminating based on race. A three-judge panel ultimately ruled 2-1 in favor of the plaintiffs, with Judge Brown and another judge supporting the decision. The dissenting opinion has not yet been published.

Judge Brown's ruling is significant given his conservative background, as he previously issued a nationwide injunction against one of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In his opinion, he criticized the DOJ's handling of the situation, stating that while partisan gerrymandering is permissible under the Constitution, the actions of Texas Republicans were primarily driven by racial considerations, which are not allowed.

The court's decision emphasized that the redistricting process was marked by racial discrimination, resulting in a map that violated the constitutional rights of minority voters. Consequently, the court ordered Texas to revert to its previous, less gerrymandered map for the 2026 elections.

Texas is expected to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, which has shown skepticism towards the Voting Rights Act in the past. The implications of this case extend beyond Texas, as it may influence gerrymandering efforts in other states, with both Republican and Democratic-led states engaging in similar practices. The ruling highlights the ongoing struggle between electoral advantage and adherence to constitutional principles regarding racial equality in voting.