The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for Texas to implement a new congressional map that could hand Republicans five additional seats in the House of Representatives for the 2026 midterm elections, NPR reports. The decision comes amid a high-profile legal battle over allegations of racial gerrymandering.

The unsigned order responds to Texas’ emergency request to pause a three-judge panel’s ruling that had blocked the GOP-drawn map. That panel, after a nine-day hearing in October, found that challengers were likely to show in court that the map discriminates against voters based on race. It had directed the state to continue using districts drawn in 2021.

In its filing to the Supreme Court, Texas argued that lawmakers were aiming to create districts more likely to elect Republicans, not to manipulate racial demographics. The high court sided with the state, saying the lower court “failed to honor the presumption of legislative good faith” and had “improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign,” creating confusion during candidate filing periods.

Justice Elena Kagan, dissenting alongside Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, criticised the majority for overturning the panel’s decision after what she described as “a perusal, over a holiday weekend, of a cold paper record.” Kagan warned that the ruling places many Texans into districts based on race, violating constitutional protections.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hailed the ruling as a “massive win for Texas and every conservative,” claiming the map reflects the state’s political climate. Democrats, including Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, argued that the map undermines minority voting opportunities and serves national Republican interests.

The Texas case is part of a wider wave of mid-decade redistricting battles. Following Texas’ move, Democratic leaders in California passed a new congressional map in November that could boost their House seats by five, currently facing a legal challenge scheduled for Dec. 15. Other states, including Missouri, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, and North Carolina, are also navigating disputes over gerrymandering and new district lines ahead of the 2026 midterms. NPR notes that pending Supreme Court decisions, such as a Louisiana voting rights case, could further reshape congressional maps across Republican-led states.