LUBBOCK, Texas — As one election cycle ends, another one begins. This time, it's primary season. In March 2026, Texans will head back to the polls to cast their votes in either the Democratic or Republican party primaries to choose their party's ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas on Friday asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order to be allowed to use a congressional redistricting plan pushed by President Donald Trump that is favorable to Republicans in the 2026 elections despite a lower court ruling that it likely discriminates on the basis of race.

Hours after federal judges blocked Texas from using a newly drawn Congressional map, state leaders filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Republicans hope the U.S. Supreme Court will overrule a three-judge panel and bring the new map back into play, but the deadline for candidates to file is less than three weeks away, Dec. 8.

Texas urged the Supreme Court on Friday to boost President Donald Trump’s effort to help Republicans maintain control of Congress, asking the justices to review a federal court ruling that found the state’s new map is likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

A federal court dealt a major blow on Tuesday to Republicans’ hopes of picking up five new GOP seats in Congress next year in Texas, ruling that the party’s redraw was unconstitutional. But the decision was far from the last word on the case.

The U.S. Supreme Court will now make a final decision on whether Texas can use its new congressional map, which was drawn this summer to benefit Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. The outcome could have a huge impact on which party controls the U.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown ordered Texas to use House district lines adopted in 2021 for next year's congressional elections.