Federal Judge Allows California To Use New Congressional Map
The modern GOP really believes that it should be allowed to do whatever it wants while everyone else plays by the rules. So it should come as no surprise that, after convincing several Republican state legislatures to engage in rare, mid-decade redistricting efforts, the Trump administration sued California for engaging in its own redistricting effort. Fortunately, that didn’t work out for them, as a panel of federal judges ruled that California can conduct the 2026 midterms under its new congressional map.
According to CBS News, the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that California’s congressional map was drawn to favor Latino voters. In a 2-1 decision, the court rejected that assertion, finding “that the evidence presented reflects that Proposition 50 was exactly what it was billed as: a political gerrymander designed to flip five Republican-held seats to the Democrats.” This is a notable victory for Democrats ahead of the midterms, as the California map was explicitly designed to neutralize the gains made through Texas’ redistricting effort, which gave Republicans five extra House seats in the state.
“Republicans’ weak attempt to silence voters failed. California voters overwhelmingly supported Prop 50 — to respond to Trump’s rigging in Texas — and that is exactly what this court concluded,” Newsom said in a statement.
Which is really a point worth hammering home. Unlike the redistricting efforts in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, California put its redistricting effort to a vote, and the voters overwhelmingly approved it. Of course, as we’ve seen in Missouri, Republican state legislatures don’t have much respect for the will of the people.
“Today’s decision upholds the will of the people. It also means that, to date, every single challenge against Proposition 50 has failed,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
At the behest of President Donald Trump, Texas and several other Republican state legislatures triggered rare, mid-decade redistricting efforts last summer to protect their narrow majority in the House ahead of this year’s midterms. California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded by holding a special election last November, in which voters approved a new congressional map.
While the DOJ could appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, it likely won’t succeed. In November, a panel of federal judges ruled that the Texas map couldn’t be used due to racial gerrymandering. The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Texas could use the new map in the 2026 midterms.
That victory has consequences, though, as Justice Samuel Alito signaled that the new California map is also legal because it was drafted for partisan advantage. “It is indisputable – that the impetus for the adoption of the Texas map (like the map subsequently adopted in California) was partisan advantage pure and simple,” Alito wrote in the decision.
The nationwide redistricting battle is far from over. Virginia’s Grand Assembly is working on a redistricting plan that would add two to three new House seats in Democratic districts, and Florida is undergoing a redistricting process intended to help Republicans. Despite Republicans doing their damnedest to stack the deck, Democrats are bullish on their chances to take control of both the House and Senate due to the widespread disapproval of Trump’s handling of the economy and immigration enforcement.
SEE ALSO:
California And Virginia Elections Give Dems Huge Wins
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Launching Redistricting Effort
Federal Judge Allows California To Use New Congressional Map was originally published on newsone.com
