With less than a week before candidates can begin filing for the 2026 elections, a panel of three federal judges in El Paso has yet to decide whether Texas will use its newly approved congressional maps or revert to the existing 2021 boundaries.

The judges held a 10-day hearing in October to review the legality of the new district lines, and their ruling will determine which maps candidates must use when filing with their political parties and the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. The filing deadline to appear on the ballot is December 8.

Once a decision is handed down, the case is expected to head straight to the U.S. Supreme Court on appeal,

The Texas Legislature approved the new congressional maps during a special session this summer, after a dramatic standoff in which House Democrats fled the state for nearly two weeks in an attempt to block the vote. When the session reconvened on August 23, Republicans swiftly passed the maps, redrawing districts in a way that could net the GOP as many as five additional congressional seats.Democrats, joined by groups including the NAACP and LULAC, quickly filed suit, claiming the maps amount to racial gerrymandering. Republicans have firmly rejected that accusation, maintaining that the redistricting was driven by political strategy, not race, CBS added