The US Supreme Court gave President Donald Trump’s Republicans a lifeline on Friday, November 21, in their high-stakes attempt to create more safe congressional seats for the party ahead of 2026 midterm elections.

Texas asked the conservative-majority high court to let the state use a newly redrawn congressional map, triggering an order hours later to temporarily pause a lower court ruling to give the justices time to consider the case. The order, known as an administrative stay, was granted by Justice Samuel Alito, who instructed challengers to file a response to the Texas petition by Monday afternoon.

A US district court had thrown out the redrawn congressional map on Tuesday, saying it amounted to racial gerrymandering.

At stake is the ruling party’s attempt – at the president’s command – to carve out five new districts in Texas that are likely to vote Republican, making it all the harder for Democrats to win control of Congress and throw a wrench into Trump’s often unchecked power.

The rush to redistrict and draw up new safe seats reflects an intense battle playing out across the country. Democratic-run California has already approved drawing up a new electoral map that would also create five districts more likely to vote for the party.

Redistricting efforts are either underway or being considered in other states. The redrawn map was challenged by Black and Hispanic voters in Republican-ruled Texas. In a split 2-1 decision, the district court ordered Texas to use a 2021 map for next year’s congressional midterm vote.