NEW YORK, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. federal court on Tuesday blocked Republicans' efforts to use a newly redrawn congressional map in Texas to grab five seats from the Democrats in the House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections.

The court ruled that it is likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, ordering Texas to use its previous map drawn in 2021.

"Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map," the ruling read.

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who signed the map into law after the Republican-dominated state Senate approved a redistricting bill in August, said in a statement that Texas would appeal to the Supreme Court.

U.S. states usually redraw congressional maps every 10 years after the nationwide census. But U.S. President Donald Trump had urged Republicans to redraw state congressional maps to help protect the party's narrow majority in the House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats have responded with their own redistricting efforts, triggering a series of fights across the country, including in the courts. Enditem