Trump DOJ Sues To Block Newsom’s ‘Racially Gerrymandered’ Congressional Map
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that it is suing Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber over the state’s newly adopted congressional map, which creates as many as…
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that it is suing Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber over the state’s newly adopted congressional map, which creates as many as five additional Democratic House seats ahead of the midterms.
California voters on Nov. 4 approved Proposition 50 to suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission and enact a partisan map backed by Newsom. The DOJ is joining a lawsuit filed last week by the California Republican Party, which alleges that the Democrat-backed plan mandates racially gerrymandered congressional districts in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”
The ballot measure was approved by nearly 65% of voters, according to NBC News, after proponents poured over $100 million into the campaign to sway the vote.
The DOJ alleged that there is “substantial evidence” that suggests that the state Legislature created a new map in which “Latino demographics and racial considerations predominated, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.”
“Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Prop 50,” said Jesus A. Osete, principal deputy assistant attorney general for Civil Rights. “Californians were sold an illegal, racially gerrymandered map, but the U.S. Constitution prohibits its use in 2026 and beyond.”