Yesterday, in a two-to-one ruling from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division, Judge Jeffrey V. Brown delivered the Court’s opinion that blocks the use of the Texas Congressional map approved during a special session in August. Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, a member of the Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting, opposed the passage of House Bill 4, the legislation that changed the congressional district boundaries for the 2026 election cycle.
Senator Hinojosa issued the following statement regarding the ruling:
“I applaud the Court’s decision to block the mid-decade redistricting plan that was approved during the special session earlier this year. I strongly opposed this proposal because it was the intent of the Trump administration to silence the voices of our U.S. citizens based on the color of their skin—whether they are Black, Brown, or Asian. The congressional districts that were redrawn were all districts represented by Black and Hispanic members of Congress.
In the ruling, Judge Brown noted that the U.S. Department of Justice letter to Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton contained the “legally incorrect assertion that four congressional districts in Texas were ‘unconstitutional’ because they were ‘coalition districts.’” I made that same argument in committee and on the Senate floor. I repeatedly stated that the DOJ letter misrepresented and distorted the Fifth Circuit’s opinion in Petteway v. Galveston County in that the Fifth Circuit never declared minority coalition districts unconstitutional.
The goal of the Trump administration and the DOJ was clear: to wipe out four congressional districts that were represented by elected officials elected by their minority-majority voters. That is targeted racial discrimination. As I argued during the special session, our best chance of defeating this discriminatory redistricting plan was through the courts.
Today, the federal court ruled correctly. While this ruling can and will likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, we must continue working together to support our democratic values. As of now, the congressional district boundaries that were approved in 2021 remain in effect.”