The Justice Department joined a lawsuit against California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, in an effort to block the use of new congressional maps that give Democrats an advantage in the 2026 midterms. California redrew its congressional districts to favor Democrats after President Donald Trump started a nationwide redistricting frenzy to secure Republican wins in the election.
DOJ attorneys intervened in a lawsuit Thursday that California Republicans filed last week to block the implementation of Proposition 50. State Republicans and the DOJ claim the new map — a response to Texas’ high-profile redistricting — unfairly uses race as a factor.
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“In the press, California’s legislators and governor sold a plan to promote the interests of Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections,” U.S. attorneys wrote in court papers. “But amongst themselves and on the debate floor, the focus was not partisanship, but race.”
The new map would likely reduce Republican representation in Congress. It would remain in use until after the 2030 Census, after which the California Citizens Redistricting Commission would draw new boundaries. The independent commission was created following a 2008 referendum.
“Newsom should be concerned about keeping Californians safe and shutting down Antifa violence, not rigging his state for political gain,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X Thursday.
According to unofficial results from the California Secretary of State, 7.3 million people voted in favor of the ballot measure, while 4 million voted against it.
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More than 7.3 million Californians voted in favor of Proposition 50, a ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional map in Democrats’ favor.
The Justice Department’s move follows Trump saying in the summer that he’s urged Republican-controlled states to redraw congressional boundaries to create party strongholds throughout the country.
Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republicans, supported the Justice Department’s move on X. She said Proposition 50 “sorted Californians by race to lock in political power.”
Newsom’s press office wrote on X that “these losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court.”
Justice Department joins lawsuit
According to court records, the Justice Department echoed California Republicans’ claim that the new map, which state Democrats designed to only be used in the 2026 election, illegally used race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters.
“Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Prop 50,” Jesus Osete, an assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in a release, erroneously classifying the California State Legislature as a General Assembly.
Attorneys later wrote in court papers that map drawer Paul Mitchell, of Sacramento-based Redistricting Partners, created a new “majority/minority Latino district.” They said that the new map bolsters Hispanic Californians’ voting power because of their race.
They added that California voters passed a measure requiring that an independent citizen-driven redistricting commission would redraw congressional boundaries following the decennial census. It last drew a map in 2021, which was used in the 2022 and 2024 elections.
A court hearing is set for Dec. 5 on the Justice Department’s request for a preliminary injunction. According to the California Secretary of State, candidates seeking inclusion on the June 2 primary ballot can start gathering signatures on Dec. 19.
