BEAUMONT, Texas — A federal three-judge panel has blocked Texas from using newly drawn congressional maps for the 2026 midterm elections, ordering the state to revert to its 2021 districts. The ruling marks a major development in the ongoing battle over redistricting in one of the nation’s fastest-growing states.

Lawmakers approved the new map earlier this year. According to court filings, the districts were drawn to help Republicans gain additional seats in the U.S. House. Several advocacy groups representing Black and Hispanic voters sued, alleging the plan amounted to racial gerrymandering.

The panel ruled the state must keep its 2021 lines for the upcoming midterm cycle.

David Froomkin, assistant professor of law at the University of Houston, said, “The arguments the DOJ letter put

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