JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
There has been a major development in the state of Texas today. A panel of three federal judges in El Paso struck down the state's new congressional voting map. Republican state lawmakers passed this map this summer after President Trump urged them to do so. And if today's ruling is upheld, it could increase Democrats' chances of taking control of the House of Representatives after next year's elections. Blaise Gainey of the Texas Newsroom joins us now from Austin. Hi there.
BLAISE GAINEY, BYLINE: Hi. Thanks for having me.
SUMMERS: Thanks for being here. OK, Blaise, a federal court has struck down this new Texas map. So just start by reminding us, how did this map come to be in the first place?
GAINEY: Yeah. Like you said, earlier this summer, President Trump told Republicans in Texas to tilt the map here so they could win five more seats next year in Congress. But even before that, the Department of Justice, which is under Trump, sent a letter to Texas asking officials to look at districts in the state that they believe had been racially gerrymandered to benefit people of color.
SUMMERS: So and then Trump and the Justice Department weighed in on the map.
GAINEY: Yes. And when the legislature met in July, Democrats fled the state for two weeks to try and block a vote on the whole plan. They eventually came back to Texas once California Democrats came up with a plan to redistrict there and gain five more seats for their party. When Democrats got back to Texas, the legislature voted on that map. Civil rights groups sued against the map, and a trial began in October. Today, those three judges said the map cannot move forward. But the governor has already appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. So now we're in the waiting game to see what they decide.
SUMMERS: Right. OK, so what specifically did the judges have to say about why they decided to block the map?
GAINEY: Yeah. The judges held no punches. In the first few lines, they state that there is substantial evidence that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map, which is not allowed under the U.S. Constitution. The judges mentioned Trump's influence in the DOJ letter, and they say that letter made a legally incorrect assertion when telling the state to target districts where people of color make up the majority of the population. They also say while Republicans have made it seem as though this was solely for partisan advantage, which is allowed under the U.S. Constitution, that the entire process being based off the DOJ letter negates that excuse. So for now, the courts in El Paso have told the state to continue using the 2021 map, which the state used in the last two federal elections.
SUMMERS: OK. I know this is still pretty early, but what's the reaction been like?
GAINEY: Yeah. Well, like I mentioned, the governor has already appealed. And then today, Governor Abbott also said any claim that these maps are discriminatory is absurd. Democrats, on other hand, have said that they're happy that they got a win. I think some, especially Representative Al Green, who had been drawn out of his district in the new map and is also a plaintiff in the case - he's ecstatic. He'd already announced he'd run for the district he was drawn into, a sign that he anticipated the ruling going another way. But now, with the ruling in the place it is now, he'll be able to run for reelection in his current district, which is Congressional District 9.
SUMMERS: Blaise, before I let you go, if you could just step back for us here and help us understand where this puts the national battle over redistricting that Trump and Texas started.
GAINEY: Yeah. Well, the ruling today is a win for Democrats all across the nation. This new map in California is moving forward. Voters approved that earlier this month. And the ruling today in Texas won't have any effect on that. And Democrats in Virginia are at the very beginning of the process there. That alone could gain Democrats at least five seats. As far as other Republican efforts, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have all redistrict. That could gain their party about three seats total. Currently, Republicans hold the U.S. House by just a few seats. So it'll all come down to what the Supreme Courts decide on the map here in Texas on who has an advantage. But ultimately, voters will be the true deciders next November.
SUMMERS: Blaise Gainey of the Texas Newsroom in Austin, thank you.
GAINEY: Yes. Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.