The Trump administration is joining the lawsuit against California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber challenging Proposition 50.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the lawsuit on Thursday.
The backstory: Last week, California voters approved Newsom’s gerrymandered redistricting proposal, Prop. 50, giving Democrats an advantage for the next three Congressional cycles.
- Prop. 50 eliminates the maps drawn by the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission and is designed to help Democrats pick up five seats statewide while strengthening seats already held by the left. Democrats already hold 43 of California’s 52 Congressional seats.
- Republicans, led by Asm. David Tangipa (R–Clovis), responded to Prop. 50 by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, arguing that the redistricting scheme is unconstitutional because it draws new lines based on race.
What they’re saying: “California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” Bondi said. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”
- Jesus Osete, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, said California has used race as a proxy to advance political interests, which is against the law.
- “Californians were sold an illegal, racially gerrymandered map, but the U.S. Constitution prohibits its use in 2026 and beyond,” Osete said.
- First Assistant United State Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California added, “The race-based gerrymandered maps passed by the California legislature are unlawful and unconstitutional. The U.S. Department of Justice is moving swiftly to prevent these illegal maps from tainting our upcoming elections. California is free to draw congressional maps, but they may not be drawn based on race.”
- California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin welcomed the Trump administration into the lawsuit.
- “Proposition 50 sorted Californians by race to lock in political power, and that is wrong no matter who does it,” Rankin said. “Using race to divide voters and silence neighborhoods is exactly what the Constitution forbids. This lawsuit is about a basic promise: the color of your skin should never be used by politicians to decide how much your voice counts at the ballot box.”
What we’re watching: The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit.
- The motion is currently pending before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Zoom in: The Department of Justice argues in its intervention that Prop. 50 violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, along with the claims that it violates the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.
- The intervention touches on the same points that Tangipa and the California Republican Party made in the initial lawsuit, arguing that the new districts were drawn to favor Hispanic voters, which violates established Supreme Court precedent.
- It also argues that voters from protected classes are already electing candidates of their choice under the existing districts, and that California’s justification for drawing new districts does not meet constitutional standards.
- The lawsuit hones in on consultant Paul Mitchell, who drew the map for Democrats, and comments he previously had made about drawing districts to favor Hispanics.
