In a move that significantly escalates the national redistricting war ahead of the 2026 midterms, the Department of Justice announced Thursday it is suing California Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber over the state’s newly enacted congressional map—an aggressively partisan redrawing that could shift as many as five House seats into the Democratic column.
The lawsuit, which the DOJ filed in coordination with an earlier suit brought by the California Republican Party, targets Proposition 50, a controversial ballot measure passed by nearly 65% of voters on November 4. The measure suspended California’s independent redistricting commission and empowered the state legislature to draw new congressional boundaries—maps that now stand accused of racial gerrymandering in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
California Democrats are openly gerrymandering by race in this case. That’s immoral and illegal. https://t.co/rRcJl9I9K0
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) November 13, 2025
“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in a sharply worded statement. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”
The DOJ’s civil rights division alleges that the Democrat-controlled California Legislature used Latino demographic data as a proxy for political gain, a tactic that runs afoul 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.
These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court. https://t.co/SVsEFmFrbc
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 13, 2025
Under the newly approved map, California Republicans could see their House representation shrink from 9 seats to just 4 out of 52—a drastic drop that would leave the party with barely 8% of the state’s congressional delegation.
Opponents say this is no accident. More than $100 million was funneled into Prop 50’s campaign by progressive donors, effectively marketing a partisan power grab as a democratic reform. The California Supreme Court dismissed a GOP-led effort to block Prop 50 from reaching the ballot, but the federal courts may now have the final word.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who has also spearheaded DOJ action against questionable redistricting in other states, echoed the constitutional concern:
“California is free to draw congressional maps, but they may not be drawn based on race.”
Newsom’s office has so far responded with mockery rather than legal counterpoints, issuing a blunt statement across social media and to press outlets:
“These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court.”
But far from being a closed case, the Prop 50 fight is now shaping up to be a central legal battle in the broader national redistricting war. With Republicans advancing new maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio—adding a projected seven to nine GOP-leaning seats—California’s new map is viewed as the Democratic counterpunch.
