Supreme Court Upholds Texas Congressional Map; Virginia High Court Hears Redistricting Challenge

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a summary reversal on Monday, upholding Texas's 2025 mid-decade congressional map and allowing it to proceed for the November 2026 elections. The decision in Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citizens overturned a federal district court's injunction that had blocked the map on grounds of racial gerrymandering.

Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson noted their disagreement with the outcome, while the majority referenced a prior 2025 opinion in the same litigation.

Republican-led legislature redrew the map last year, facing challenges from voting-rights organizations claiming improper reliance on race. A lower court blocked its implementation in November 2025, but the Supreme Court had paused that order to allow primaries to proceed. The ruling provides a boost for Republicans in the ongoing battles over congressional boundaries.

Virginia, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday regarding a Republican challenge to a constitutional amendment approved by voters last week. The amendment allows a redrawn congressional map that could net Democrats up to four additional U.S. House seats, potentially shifting the delegation from a 6-5 Democratic majority to a 10-1 edge.

The referendum passed narrowly with 51.6% to 48.4% approval.

“The General Assembly complied with every step that the Constitution requires.”

Sunday, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland rejected a Republican-led bid to halt certification of the referendum results. The judge found that officials followed constitutional rules, emphasizing that courts do not weigh policy merits but check procedural compliance.

He noted the updated districts are less compact and reflect partisan considerations but concluded compactness was open to reasonable debate, citing expert testimony from Boston University political scientist Maxwell Palmer.

Republicans, including the Republican National Committee and state GOP, argued the Democratic-led General Assembly violated procedural rules, such as not having two separate legislative sessions with an election in between and failing to publish the amendment 90 days in advance.

Democrats contended they met requirements, partly through a special session carried over from 2024 to 2025. Oral arguments lasted about an hour, with some justices pressing on procedural irregularities, though most remained quiet.

“There are lots of voters across the Commonwealth who are not totally educated on everything going on in Richmond, and they need time.”

The Virginia map was enacted via a referendum to temporarily allow the legislature to redraw districts instead of a bipartisan commission. Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters called the move a blatant power grab. Democratic Virginia Gov.

Abigail Spanberger had stated during her 2025 campaign that she had no plans to redistrict Virginia but backed the move once in office. It remains unclear how the Virginia Supreme Court will rule, as fewer than half of the seven justices asked questions.

Sources contradict on the potential Democratic gains: most say up to four seats, leading to 10-1, while one mentions four additional competitive opportunities.