Legal showdown: Court battle heats up over California's 'Democrat-favoring' congressional map
How California's congressional maps could change
Congressional redistricting is on the ballot in November thanks to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The new proposed maps would swing four Republican seats.
LOS ANGELES - The fight over California's new congressional map, which was designed to help Democrats gain seats, is heading to federal court for a crucial hearing.
Why you should care:
This legal battle has significant national implications as it directly affects which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives for the second half of the Trump administration.
House Democrats need to gain just a handful of seats next year to take control of the chamber.
Currently, Republicans hold 219 seats, while Democrats hold 214 seats.
The map, known as Proposition 50, was approved by California voters in November.
RELATED: Prop 50 passes: California voters approve redistricting measure that could shift US House power
It is designed to help Democrats flip as many as five congressional House seats in the midterm elections next year.
The outcome of this case could impact President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and open the door for congressional investigations into his administration.
What we know:
The core of the legal challenge, brought by the California Republican Party and joined by the U.S. Justice Department, centers on the allegation of gerrymandering.
The lawsuit claims the map violates the constitution by using race as a factor to illegally favor Hispanic voters.
But state Democrats argue the map is a lawful effort to "retain and expand Voting Rights Act districts that empower Latino voters," while making no changes to Black majority districts in the Los Angeles and Oakland areas.
RELATED: Republicans sue over passage of California's Prop 50
The lawsuit cites admissions from the redistricting consultant, Paul Mitchell, and a Cal Poly Pomona/Caltech study, both of which suggest the map was drawn to increase Latino voting power.
The lawsuit asks a three-judge panel to issue a temporary restraining order by December 19, the date when candidates can officially begin the process to run in the 2026 election.
The backstory:
The current redistricting showdown is highly unusual because new U.S. House maps are typically drawn only after the census every ten years.
Proposition 50, the map currently being challenged, was created by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom as a response to a Republican-led effort in Texas, backed by President Donald Trump.
Redistricting efforts aimed at gaining partisan advantage have spread nationally, with Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio also adopting new, controversial district lines.
RELATED: SCOTUS will allow Texas to use redrawn congressional map for 2026 election
The Supreme Court recently allowed Texas to use its new map for the 2026 election, despite some legal challenges, but the Justice Department has only formally sued California over its new boundaries.
What they're saying:
Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Gov. Newsom, defended the map against the Republican challenge.
"In letting Texas use its gerrymandered maps, the Supreme Court noted that California’s maps, like Texas’s, were drawn for lawful reasons. That should be the beginning and the end of this Republican effort to silence the voters of California."
RELATED: Redistricting California: Newly proposed congressional maps released
The lawsuit directly addresses the map's methodology, saying "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 recent ballot initiative that junked California’s pre-existing electoral map in favor of a rush-job rejiggering of California’s congressional district lines."
The Source: This report is sourced from the official lawsuit filed by the California Republican Party and the U.S. Justice Department, which provides the allegations regarding racial gerrymandering and the use of the map consultant's data. It also includes direct quotes from Gov. Newsom's spokesperson, Brandon Richards, and relies on evidence cited in the lawsuit, such as the Cal Poly Pomona/Caltech study and statements from state Democrats. The Associated Press contributed.