US court blocks Texas from using redrawn voting maps
On paper, at least, Republicans in Texas have redrawn the boundaries of electoral districts in order to strengthen the party's position in the US Congress. A court has put the brakes on the plan for the time being.
Austin (dpa) - US President Donald Trump's Republicans have suffered a setback in their plans to redraw electoral districts to improve their chances in important congressional elections.
A federal court issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the state of Texas from using a constituency redistricting plan adopted in the summer as the basis for next year's midterm elections.
The court said evidence indicated the new voting districts were "racially gerrymandered", and ordered the state to use the congressional lines which were in place before they redistricted earlier this year.
New members of the US Parliament are to be elected then. The decision can still be appealed.
Racially motivated
The judges justified their decision by stating that the new constituency boundaries disadvantaged certain population groups.
Instead, the MPs who are to represent Texas must be elected in November 2026 on the basis of the 2021 constituency boundaries.
At the end of August, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a bill to that effect. With the redistricting, Trump's party hoped to gain up to five additional seats in the House of Representatives.
The Republicans currently have majorities in both chambers of the US Congress, i.e. the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, these majorities are only narrow. In November 2026, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be
In targeted constituency gerrymandering, boundaries are drawn in such a way that one party can consolidate as many of its own votes as possible and fragment those of its opponents.
This allows it to win more seats, even if it does not receive more votes overall. Constituencies are normally redrawn every ten years on the basis of the census. In addition to Texas, new maps have also been approved in North Carolina and Missouri.up for re-election, as will some of the seats in the Senate.