The Dallas Morning News By Gromer Jeffers Jr. 9/30/2025
Plaintiffs want the court to block the new boundaries before the filing period for the March primary elections expires.A federal hearing to determine the legality of new congressional district boundaries designed to net Republicans up to five Texas seats in the House of Representatives begins Wednesday in El Paso.
A coalition of plaintiffs is arguing that the new maps sought by President Donald Trump and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott are unconstitutional because they discriminate against minority voters. Texas officials contend the maps were drawn with politics in mind, not race.
The hearing, which is essentially a trial, takes place just weeks before the Nov. 8 opening of the candidate filing period for the 2026 midterm elections. Plaintiffs want the court to issue an injunction against the boundaries before the filing period expires Dec. 8.
The hearing doesn’t mean the court will act on an injunction before the March midterm election primaries, but voting rights activists are hopeful. If there is an injunction, candidates would run under the old congressional boundaries, or the court could draw interim maps.
It’s unlikely the three-judge panel is the last legal stop for the case. It’s possible the lawsuit will be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, analysts say.
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