Texas is likely to hold 2018 elections under current congressional and state House maps after the Supreme Court on Tuesday night blocked a lower court ruling calling for changes in the maps.

Separate rulings from a three-judge panel in federal court in San Antonio last month had called for revisions to several congressional and statehouse districts after finding that the maps violated the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act.

The Supreme Court's brief order split 5-4 along ideological lines and is the latest ruling in the years-long legal battle over maps drawn after the 2010 census. The high court's order will remain in effect while it considers Texas' appeal.

The court in San Antonio ruled that a congressional district in Corpus Christi held by Republican Blake Farenthold denied Hispanic voters an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. The court also rejected another congressional district stretching from San Antonio to Austin — currently held by Democrat Lloyd Doggett. The judges ruled that race had been the primary factor in drawing it.

Plaintiffs in the case — which include minority lawmakers and civil rights organizations — had also challenged the fairness of districts drawn in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, arguing that the state had "packed and cracked" minority communities in North Texas. But the judges made no changes in D-FW districts.

"Packing" refers to a process of including as many minorities in one district as possible to dilute their voting power, while "cracking" means the state selectively took minorities out of certain districts to achieve the same goal.

In another decision, the San Antonio panel found similar issues in state legislative districts, including some in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The judges said in their ruling that the intentional discrimination from 2011 carried over into parts of the 2013 maps. The ruling would have affected five districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: state House Districts 103, 104 and 105 in western Dallas County and Districts 90 and 93 in Tarrant County. The judges also ruled that Districts 32 and 34 in Nueces County and Districts 54 and 55 in Bell County should be redrawn.

State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, of the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus, said Tuesday night that the group wants a hearing before the Supreme Court.

"We look forward to seeking justice before the highest court in the land," Anchia said in a written statement. "After nine findings of intentional discrimination by bipartisan federal judges, [the Supreme Court] has the opportunity to protect Texas voters."

In 2013, the court provided the Legislature with an interim fix to its discrimination for elections that were coming up after the Supreme Court rejected those and told judges to come up with new maps. The state mostly stuck to those maps, which have been used for the last three election cycles.

Texas officials, including Attorney General Ken Paxton, who appealed the ruling, noted that the judges "held that maps they themselves adopted violate the law."

The state argued that maps must be in place by Oct. 1 for 2018 elections to proceed with a Nov. 11-Dec. 11 primary filing period and a March 6 primary. The plaintiffs said that was an artificial deadline.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. had granted temporary stays while the full court considered the stay application.

The New York Times and Associated Press contributed to this report.

Join the conversation on Reddit: