States typically redraw their congressional district maps every 10 years to reflect the results of the most recent census. Acting on a request from Pres. Donald Trump for a “very simple redrawing” where “we [the Republican Party] pick up five seats” prior to the 2026 midterm elections, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott added redistricting to the agenda of the 2025 Texas special legislative session. Such a move was enabled by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Rucho v. Common Cause (2019), which ruled that federal courts could not consider the constitutionality of overtly partisan gerrymanders.