Washington DC - The US Supreme Court on Monday upheld a new Texas voting map designed to deliver five more congressional seats to Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
SCOTUS has officially given Texas the green light to use the new map after temporarily allowing its use late last year.
The conservative justices overturned a lower court ruling which found the map could not be used in the 2026 midterm elections, as it amounted to illegal racial gerrymandering.
Liberal justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, as they did in November.
Texas lawmakers approved the new map in August.
Redistricting typically happens once every 10 years after the release of new US Census data.
The Trump administration had pressured Republican-led states to redraw their electoral lines ahead of the midterms in hopes of retaining a GOP majority in Congress' lower chamber.
Democratic legislators sought to hold up the mid-cycle redistricting push by fleeing the state last summer, but they were ultimately unable to thwart the Republican plan.
Greg Abbott hails "HUGE WIN" as Democrats decry "stolen seats"
Republicans are celebrating the Supreme Court decision as mid-cycle redistricting battles continue to rage.
Governor Greg Abbott hailed the "HUGE WIN" on X, bragging, "We added more new Republican seats than any state."
"The Supreme Court did not protect the Constitution today," Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement. "It protected Greg Abbott's racist map and gave Donald Trump exactly what he demanded from Texas Republicans: stolen seats, weaker Black and Latino voting power, and a rigged path to keep control of Congress."
"As much as this decision stings, Greg Abbott should not confuse this ruling for a victory," Wu added, noting efforts in Democratic-led states to counter the GOP redistricting maneuvers.
Back in November, California voters approved a ballot initiative expected to deliver five more US House seats to Democrats. The Supreme Court ruled in February that the Golden State could use the map.
Virginia voters have also approved a redistricting amendment expected to boost Democrats. The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a challenge to the new map on Monday.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday unveiled his own redistricting plan aimed at delivering four additional Republican seats.