The decision was a blow to Texas Republicans and President Donald Trump, who hoped the redistricting would help the party pick up seats in next year’s midterms.

By Brad Brooks, Andrew Hay and Costas Pitas (Reuters) -A federal court on Tuesday blocked Texas from using a new congressional map intended to flip several Democratic-held U.S. House of Representatives seats to Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections,

The court ruling came after California voters formally approved a ballot measure that was introduced to counteract Texas' redistricting.

A federal court in El Paso ruled that the redistricting backed by Trump and Republicans to reshape the map for the 2026 midterms was based on race, not just political advantage for the GOP.

The congressional redistricting Texas Republicans pushed forward this summer didn’t just reshape two of Houston’s most historically diverse districts: It also changed which voters there have the power to choose who will represent them in Washington.