By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — The U.S. Supreme Court has granted Texas a stay that keeps the state’s newly drawn 2025 congressional map in place for the 2026 election cycle, halting a lower court’s ruling that found the map to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The order ensures that the expanded seven-county version of Texas’ 3rd Congressional District (TX-03) will govern next year’s elections as campaigns prepare to file for office.
The decision reflects the Court’s view that Texas is likely to prevail in its appeal and underscores the justices’ reluctance to disrupt election administration months before voting begins.
Court Says Texas Is Likely to Succeed on Appeal
In granting the stay, the Supreme Court signaled that Texas is likely to prevail in its appeal, concluding that the district court committed significant legal errors in blocking the map. The majority said the lower court failed to apply the presumption of legislative good faith and should have drawn a strong adverse inference against the plaintiffs for not submitting an alternative map that met the state’s stated partisan objectives.
The Court also stressed the practical consequences of changing district lines months before an election, reiterating that federal courts should not disrupt election rules once campaigning and administrative preparations are underway.
As a result, the 2025 map remains in effect throughout the appeal and is expected to govern the 2026 cycle barring an extraordinary later ruling.
Dissent: Supreme Court Overrode Extensive Fact-Finding
Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, sharply criticized the decision, arguing that the majority ignored a comprehensive factual record developed over nine days of testimony, 23 witnesses, thousands of exhibits, and a 160-page opinion. She wrote that the district court’s findings—that Texas used race as a predominant factor in reshaping districts—were entitled to deference under established standards.
Kagan warned that the stay guarantees the contested map will be used in 2026 and places many Texans into districts that the lower court concluded were drawn along racial lines rather than neutral redistricting principles.
Impact on TX-03: A Larger, More Complex District
The ruling locks in a significantly expanded TX-03, merging Collin County’s fast-growing suburbs with rural and exurban communities stretching across Grayson, Fannin, Hopkins, Franklin, Titus, and parts of Denton County. The district now spans multiple media markets, differing local economies, and sharply varied population densities.
Campaigns must adjust quickly to the district’s broader geography and diverse voter base, while election officials can move forward with candidate filings, precinct configurations, and ballot preparation without further uncertainty.
Reaction from TX-03 Candidates and North Texas Leaders
Evan Hunt Calls Decision “Confusing and Disturbing”
Democratic candidate Evan Hunt said in an official statement issued Friday that the Supreme Court’s ruling was “confusing and disturbing” for Texans who now find themselves represented by someone “who has never met them or spent time where they live.” Hunt argued that Republicans “deliberately break up counties and mitigate the voting power of minority communities,” and said that “even though it may be legal, it’s wrong.”
He said voters across the district are focused on wages, healthcare, public schools, infrastructure, and the state’s future, and are “tired of political gamesmanship.” Hunt emphasized his commitment to serving all seven counties regardless of how district lines are drawn, saying he intends to make every voice feel heard and every community represented.
Hunt added that “politicians don’t choose their voters, voters choose their politicians,” and said he believes TX-03 can flip for the first time since 1968 in 2026.
Mihaela Plesa: “This Should Terrify Every Texan”
State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, in comments to TX3DNews, said the decision “sent a chilling message: political power matters more than voting rights,” adding that the ruling should “terrify every Texan, no matter your party.” She said the outcome undermines faith in institutions, noting that her parents fled a regime where courts failed to protect citizens.
Plesa pointed to the district court’s findings, a letter from the Trump Justice Department, and Governor Abbott’s public statements as evidence that Texas’ mid-decade redistricting was driven by racial gerrymandering. “That is a legal outcome, not a moral vindication,” she said, arguing that communities of color are being “sliced apart to protect those already in power.”
She warned the decision raises the stakes in North Texas, calling her district a “frontline battleground,” and urged civic engagement rather than resignation. “They are counting on people to feel defeated. I’m counting on the opposite,” she said. “We answer this decision the only way a democracy ever has: we organize, we vote, we run, we donate, and we refuse to be pushed out of our own future.”
Republican Response Pending
TX3DNews contacted Rep. Keith Self and the Collin County Republican Party for comment on the Supreme Court’s decision and its implications for TX-03. No response has been received as of publication, and TX3DNews will update this report if either office provides comment.
What Comes Next
The Supreme Court will review Texas’ appeal on the merits in the coming months, but the stay order makes it highly unlikely that any future ruling would alter the district boundaries for the 2026 election. Even the dissenting justices acknowledged that the Court’s action effectively guarantees the 2025 map will remain in place for next year’s races.
For voters and campaigns in TX-03, the district’s expanded boundaries—and the political shift they create—are now firmly set for the 2026 cycle.