By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
COLLIN COUNTY — On November 21, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court paused a lower-court ruling that had blocked Texas’ new congressional map, putting the state’s 2026 election boundaries back in flux. With the administrative stay in place, the 2025 map remains active for now while the justices consider Texas’ appeal.
Background: What triggered the appeal
Last week, a three-judge federal panel in El Paso struck down the 2025 congressional map in a 2–1 ruling. The court found that plaintiffs presented “substantial evidence” that map-drawers relied on race when crafting several districts, including those in fast-growing suburban regions. The majority opinion, written by Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, stated:
“Politics played a role in drawing the 2025 map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map.”
The panel ordered Texas to prepare for the 2026 elections using the 2021 map — a directive that would have taken immediate effect had the Supreme Court not intervened.
Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed within hours, calling the ruling “a radical overreach” and arguing that the Legislature’s decisions were driven by partisan objectives, which the Supreme Court has previously said federal courts cannot police.
Paxton said:
“The Big Beautiful Map was entirely legal and passed for partisan purposes to better represent the political affiliations of Texas.”
He asked the Supreme Court for an emergency stay, prompting the administrative pause now in place.
Reactions before and after the Supreme Court pause
Before the justices intervened, Democrats praised the lower-court ruling. Collin County Democratic Chair Jeremy Sutka called it:
“A resounding victory for democracy and a powerful vindication for every Texan who testified, protested, and demanded fair representation.”
State Rep. Mihaela Pleșa, Vice Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said the federal panel’s findings reflected the concerns raised during the summer quorum break.
“When House Democrats broke quorum this summer, we did it because we saw exactly what the court saw: a deliberate effort to dilute the voting power of communities of color and hand Donald Trump and Greg Abbott congressional seats they didn’t earn.”
Pleșa noted that the Supreme Court’s pause does not change the underlying conclusions.
“The administrative stay is a procedural timeout, not a judgment on who’s right or wrong. The evidence of racial gerrymandering remains the same.”
Looking ahead, she said:
“The real question now is whether the Supreme Court will protect those voters or allow politicians to keep rigging the system.”
Following the administrative stay, Democratic TX-03 candidate Evan Hunt focused on the state’s right to seek review.
“Texas made the right call to protect fair representation, and I’m hopeful the Supreme Court will respect that decision. States should be able to defend their voters — not be overruled by partisan maps from Washington.”
TX3DNews again reached out to Rep. Keith Self’s office and the Collin County GOP; neither responded.
What the Limbo Means for Texas’ 3rd Congressional District
Because the Supreme Court issued an administrative stay, the 2025 congressional map is temporarily back in effect while the appeal is considered. That status is not final, and the justices have given no indication of how they may rule.
The challenge now is timing. Texas’ 2026 candidate filing period opens in early January, and state election officials typically need final district boundaries by mid-January to certify filings, assign precincts, and prepare ballots. As a result, the Court’s timeline may ultimately shape the map as much as its decision.
Three outcomes are possible:
- If the Supreme Court grants a full stay soon, Texas can use the 2025 map for the 2026 cycle.
• If the Court denies the stay, the state must return to the 2021 map while litigation continues.
• If the Court does not act before mid-January, the 2025 map effectively remains in place by default — Texas would not have enough time to revert to the 2021 lines without disrupting the election calendar.
For TX-03, this means the district’s boundaries remain unsettled. The 2025 map would substantially reshape the district compared with the existing configuration, but those changes remain provisional until the Court rules — or allows the clock to run out.
What comes next
The Supreme Court is expected to move quickly on Texas’ stay request, given the tight election calendar. Whatever the justices decide will determine whether TX-03 competes in 2026 under the contested 2025 map or the longstanding 2021 boundaries.
Until that order is issued, Texas — and TX-03 voters — remain in a holding pattern, preparing for two different maps and waiting for the final word from the nation’s highest court.
TX3DNews will update this story as soon as the Court acts.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional comments provided by Rep. Mihaela Pleșa following the Supreme Court’s administrative stay.