The Texas Legislature’s special session to redraw congressional districts, for example, came under direct pressure from Republican leadership in Washington.
That map was then challenged in court as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. After judicial back‑and‑forth and a timing battle tied to candidate filing deadlines, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the redrawn lines to be used for the 2026 elections.
In Missouri, Republican officials also called a special session in 2025 to redraw congressional boundaries, with the new map passed and signed into law.
That map has been met with lawsuits and an efforts to collect referendum signatures that could suspend it until voters decide in a special election.
And in North Carolina, a federal judicial panel permitted the state to use a map that was designed to give Republicans a new seat by reshaping a competitive district.
Democratic Responses and the Battle in California
In response to this Republican‑led wave, some Democratic leaders have begun considering their own mapmaking strategies rather than relying on long‑standing reform principles like independent commissions. One of the most notable examples is California. Continue reading…
