An approaching primary election was a factor in Thursday’s Supreme Court decision to set aside a lower court’s ruling that had blocked the Republican-backed map from taking effect. A key question moving forward is whether the lines were redrawn based on race or partisan politics.

The U.S. population is spread out among 3.8 million square miles across 50 states, yet nearly one-third of Americans live in just three states: California, Texas and New York. New York City alone has more people — 8.5 million — than 38 states.

Trump is seeking to avoid historical trends in which the president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections by pushing for new congressional districts.