When Gov. Greg Abbott approved the state's new congressional map last August, the idea was that it would help Republicans pick up five additional seats in Congress. In November, a district court threw out the map over allegations of racial gerrymandering.
The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and on Monday the justices issued their decision, reversing the district court's ruling and allowing the maps to be used until at least 2030. (Congressional maps are typically redrawn with new census data, and the next batch will drop in 2030.)
"The Supreme Court did not protect the Constitution today," Rep. Gene Wu, the state House Minority Leader, said in a statement Monday. "It protected Greg Abbott's racist map and gave Donald Trump exactly what he demanded from Texas Republicans."
Abbott responded to Wu's statement on X: "Cry harder."
The backstory
Last year the state legislature opted to redistrict outside of a census year, an unusual idea that came from President Donald Trump over fears that Republicans would lose the U.S. House in 2026
Thousands of people protested on the Texas State Capitol lawn, even joining legislative hearings to let the state know they did not want the maps redrawn. State Republicans moved forward with the redraw, and Democrats responded by breaking quorum in an attempt to delay the map's passage.
In the meantime, several states, including California, began their own redistricting process to try and give Democrats or Republicans an advantage in the upcoming midterm elections.
Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Texas Newsroom is a public radio journalism collaboration that includes NPR, KERA in North Texas, Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and other stations across the state.