Voters stand in line at the Cody Branch Library polling location on primary election day in San Antonio on Monday, March 3, 2026.

Credit: Texas Tribune / Christopher Lee A federal judge on Friday afternoon paused a bid by Texas Republicans to restrict participation in the GOP's primary elections to voters registered with the party.

While Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a U.S. district judge based in Amarillo, stopped the effort, he wrote in his order that he expects the state's Republican Party to succeed in closing its primaries during the upcoming Legislative Session.