Jasmine Crockett Explodes at Supreme Court After Texas Ruling
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, lashed out publicly after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for Texas Republicans to proceed with their newly enacted congressional map—a procedural but consequential ruling that all but locks in a GOP advantage heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
In a 6–3 order issued December 4, the justices left in place a prior stay blocking a lower court injunction against the map. That decision allows Texas to use the Republican-drawn districts while litigation continues, effectively ending months of legal uncertainty and ensuring the new boundaries will govern the next election cycle.
The redistricting plan, approved by the Texas Legislature last year, is expected to yield as many as five additional Republican seats by consolidating heavily Democratic urban districts and reshaping several competitive areas. State Republicans maintain the map reflects population growth and evolving voting patterns, while Democrats claim it amounts to racial gerrymandering aimed at weakening minority representation.
Crockett is among the lawmakers directly impacted. Her Dallas-based district was effectively dismantled under the new lines, transforming what had been a safe Democratic seat into a far more competitive landscape. Rather than seek reelection under the new map, Crockett opted to launch a Senate challenge against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Crockett vented her frustration in a profanity-filled social media outburst, accusing President Donald J. Trump, Republican governors, and GOP-controlled state legislatures of deliberately manipulating redistricting to entrench conservative power.
“Obviously, Trump is still doing his bidding with the state houses and governors’ mansions to try to rig the system,” Crockett said.
“Kudos to Indiana for saying f—k you. Kudos to California for saying we’re gonna fight back. Definitely kudos to the Trump justice who wrote the 160-page opinion denouncing what took place in Texas. And f—k you to the Supreme Court for what they did,” she added.
Republicans brushed off the remarks as an emotional reaction, noting that the Supreme Court’s action was procedural and aligned with longstanding precedent limiting federal court intervention in state redistricting disputes.
The high court’s order followed a split 2–1 ruling earlier this year by a three-judge federal panel that had struck down the map as an “illegal race-based gerrymander.” Justice Samuel Alito later issued a temporary pause in November to allow the Court time to consider Texas’s appeal, culminating in the December decision that permits the map to remain in effect for now.
Texas officials continue to argue the districts comply with federal law and reflect legitimate demographic shifts. Democrats counter that the lines intentionally dilute Black and Hispanic voting strength. The legal fight is expected to stretch well into next year.
With Republicans holding a narrow 219–214 majority in the House, even modest gains could prove decisive. The Texas ruling delivers a significant structural advantage to the GOP ahead of 2026, even as Democrats push aggressive counter-redistricting efforts in states such as California to offset potential losses.
The Texas case also fits into a broader national legal battle as the Supreme Court reevaluates the reach of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the key provision prohibiting racial discrimination in voting. During oral arguments in October 2025 in a separate Louisiana case, the Court’s conservative majority signaled it may sharply narrow—or potentially eliminate—Section 2 altogether.
Legal analysts say such a ruling would dramatically weaken federal oversight of race-based gerrymandering claims and open the door to a new wave of aggressive redistricting in states including Texas, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Without Section 2, challenges would largely rely on the Constitution’s equal-protection clause, a significantly higher legal bar that favors state lawmakers.
For now, the Supreme Court’s stay ensures Texas’s new congressional map will shape the 2026 midterms—and may serve as the opening move in a nationwide reshaping of electoral lines if Section 2 is curtailed next year.