Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
The Justice Department on Thursday filed suit to block California’s newly approved congressional map, thrusting the nation’s most populous state into a high-stakes legal and political fight that could influence control of the U.S. House in 2026.
The complaint, filed in federal court in California, challenges boundaries adopted by voters last week through Proposition 50 — a ballot measure championed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The new map would give Democrats a chance to flip up to five GOP-held seats in next year’s midterm elections.
Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the measure as unconstitutional and overtly partisan.
“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” Bondi said in a statement. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”
Newsom’s office dismissed the lawsuit as political theater.
“These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court,” spokesperson Brandon Richards said.
The suit marks the first time the Justice Department has intervened in a wave of mid-decade redistricting efforts undertaken by several states after President Donald Trump urged Republicans to redraw maps to expand the GOP’s House majority. While three GOP-led states — Texas, Missouri and North Carolina — have enacted similar revisions, none has yet faced federal action.
Civil rights groups have argued that new maps in Texas and Missouri dilute the voting power of minority communities. But the Justice Department’s complaint targets California alone, accusing the state of racial gerrymandering by using race as a proxy to create additional Hispanic-leaning districts.
“Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Proposition 50,” the lawsuit states, asking a judge to bar the state from using the map in any future election.
Prop 50 emerged as Newsom’s response to the aggressive Republican mapmaking push in Texas, where lawmakers redrew districts in hopes of netting five new GOP seats. Both states’ moves reflect the stakes of the 2026 midterms: Democrats need only a handful of pickups to reclaim the House, which Republicans currently hold 219–214. A Democratic majority would threaten Trump’s second-term agenda and likely trigger oversight investigations into his administration.
The fight has drawn national attention — and money. Tens of millions of dollars poured into the Prop 50 campaign, including $5 million from the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., which opposed the measure. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Prop 50 in a series of ads, while former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger publicly campaigned against it.
The ballot measure also elevated Newsom’s national profile as he considers a 2028 presidential bid. The lawsuit ensures that the redistricting showdown between California and the Trump administration will remain at the center of the country’s political landscape heading into the election year.
