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Emergency application

Greg Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citizens

Granted
No. 25A608Stay applicationFiled by a private partyPresented to Justice AlitoFrom United States District Court for the Western District of Texas

What did the Court do?

The Court granted the request on December 4, 2025: the lower court's ruling is on hold while the appeal continues.

Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case. Justice Kagan, Justice Sotomayor, and Justice Jackson would have ruled the other way.

Filed Ruled 13 days after filing

What's being asked

A private party asks the Supreme Court to pause (stay) a lower-court ruling from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas while the appeal continues. The case is Greg Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citizens.

What the Court did

[See Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a608_7khn.pdf#page=4'>Opinion</a> for full order language.] The application for stay presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is granted. The November 18, 2025 order entered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, case No. 3:21–cv–259, is stayed pending the timely filing of an appeal in this Court. Should a notice of appeal and jurisdictional statement be timely filed, this order shall remain in effect pending this Court’s action on the appeal. If the appeal is dismissed, or the judgment is affirmed, this order will terminate automatically. In the event that jurisdiction is noted or postponed, this order will remain in effect pending the sending down of the judgment of this Court. Justice Alito, with whom Justice Thomas and Justice Gorsuch join, concurs. (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a608_7khn.pdf#page=4'>>Opinion</a>) Justice Kagan, with whom Justice Sotomayor and Justice Jackson join, dissents. (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a608_7khn.pdf#page=4'>>Opinion</a>)

Concurring · 3agreed with the result, wrote separately
  1. Thomasjoined Alito's writing
  2. Alitowrote a concurrence
  3. Gorsuchjoined Alito's writing
Dissenting · 3recorded against the Court's order
  1. Sotomayorjoined Kagan's writing
  2. Kaganwrote a dissent
  3. Jacksonjoined Kagan's writing
Vote not published · 3the order does not say how they voted
  1. Roberts
  2. Kavanaugh
  3. Barrett
The order records the positions of 6 of 9 justices. The Court usually does not say how each justice voted on an emergency application, so the rest are shown as not published.
Days from filing to a ruling for 10 rulings on applications where the Court asked for a response since January 1, 2025. The band is the middle half, the tick the median, and the mark this application: ruled 13 days after filing.

What it means

This is a temporary order about what happens while the case is decided, not a ruling on who is right. The case continues in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Separate writings

  • Justice Alito, joined by Justice Gorsuch and Justice Thomas, concurring

  • Justice Kagan, joined by Justice Jackson and Justice Sotomayor, dissenting

    Read (PDF)

Sources

Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 25A608. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.

Checked September 23, 2026