Common Questions

What is PlanC2333 and how was it cleared by the Supreme Court?

PlanC2333 is the Texas Republican-drawn congressional map for 38 districts, created after the 2020 census. The Supreme Court cleared it for use in the 2026 midterms on 27 April 2026, reversing a lower court that had found likely Voting Rights Act Section 2 violations. The same 6-3 majority that decided Callais two days later approved the clearance.Source: Supreme Court of the United States

How many Republican seats does the Texas map add in 2026?

Analysts project PlanC2333 delivers a net gain of 3 to 5 Republican House seats compared to a map that would have been required under the now-overturned Thornburg v. Gingles majority-minority district mandate.Source: event

Why was the Texas congressional map blocked before the Supreme Court cleared it?

A federal district court blocked PlanC2333, ruling it likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting minority voting power in districts covering Houston and Dallas. The Supreme Court reversed that block on 27 April 2026, and the subsequent Callais ruling effectively eliminated the legal basis for such challenges entirely.Source: Federal district court ruling; SCOTUS order 27 April 2026

Background

The Supreme Court cleared Texas's PlanC2333 congressional map for use in the 2026 midterms on 27 April 2026, reversing a lower court ruling two days before the Callais decision with the same six-justice majority alignment. The map had been blocked by a federal district court on Section 2 Voting Rights Act grounds; SCOTUS's order removed that block and locked in the Republican-drawn district lines .

PlanC2333 was drawn by the Texas Republican-controlled legislature following the 2020 census. The map restructures 38 congressional districts (Texas gained two seats after the census), reducing the number of majority-minority districts and packing Hispanic and Black voters into fewer seats. Analysts rated the map as worth between +3 and +5 net Republican seats compared to a map drawn under the Gingles majority-minority mandate. The lower court had found the map likely violated Section 2 in at least two districts covering Houston and Dallas.

With Callais arriving two days after the SCOTUS clearance and ordering immediate nationwide effect, PlanC2333 now serves as both the operational map for Texas in 2026 and a template for the post-Callais redistricting wave. Its SCOTUS clearance pre-empts further Texas litigation under the Voting Rights Act for the current cycle.

Source Material

Texas redistricting: Congressional map analysis Texas 2021 Congressional Districts Approved Plan

How the World Sees Them

Texas Republicans

PlanC2333 is the legitimate expression of post-census apportionment; SCOTUS clearance validates the legislature's map-drawing authority.

Democratic leadership

Hakeem Jeffries has pointed to PlanC2333 as the primary driver for Democratic retaliation maps in New York and Illinois.

National Republicans (NRCC)

PlanC2333 is one of the most valuable individual maps in the 2026 cycle; combined with post-Callais maps in Florida and the South, it forms the core of the Republican path to a widened House majority.

Texas Democrats and civil rights groups

The NAACP LDF and Texas civil rights plaintiffs argue the map packs minority voters and dilutes representation; Callais has now closed the legal avenue for challenge.