Justice Department alleges racial gerrymandering in California map lawsuit
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The Justice Department intervened Thursday in a lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom challenging California’s efforts to redraw the state’s congressional map in time for the next election.
DOJ Civil Rights Division lawyers justified creating districts favoring Democrats by claiming that race was “used as a proxy” in California; it was a move that served to offset the redistricting showdown that resulted in more Republican-leaning districts in Texas.
“In the press, California legislators and the governor sold a plan to support Democratic interests in the upcoming midterm elections,” Justice Department lawyers wrote. “But among themselves and in the debate room, the focus was on race, not partisanship.”
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS FILE SUIT TO STOP NEWSOM AND DEMOCRATS FROM IMPLEMENTING THE REDISTRIBUTORY PLAN.
Attorney General Pam Bondi (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
They added that the Constitution “does not tolerate this racist gerrymander” and cited several statements by lawmakers and others involved in the process about how they prioritized creating a Latino-majority district to counter Texas’ perceived attempt to “silence the voices of Latino voters.”
The federal government has the authority to enforce the Voting Rights Act, which includes a provision designed to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised because of their race. But the law’s language has long been a subject of debate and is currently under review by the Supreme Court in a separate redistricting case involving the Louisiana map.
California’s ballot measure, called Proposition 50, passed on Election Day, paving the way for the state legislature to redraw districts that could flip five Republican seats. In his congratulatory speech after the measure passed, Newsom said it was California’s response to Trump “trying to rig the midterm elections without a single vote being cast.”
‘Deranged Obsession’: NEWSOM FILES LAWSUIT OVER ‘REFIALITICAL’ CALIFORNIA REDISTRIBUTION
California Governor Gavin Newsom during a bill signing event to redraw the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Opponents of California Proposition 50, also known as the Election Fraud Interference Act, a California ballot measure that would redraw congressional maps to benefit Democrats, rally in Westminster, California, on September 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
“The one thing he never trusted was the state of California,” Newsom said. “Instead of agonizing over the state of our nation, we organized in an unprecedented 90-day sprint.”
Republican California Assemblyman David Tangipa responded by suing, and the Justice Department joined the lawsuit Thursday.
“These losers lost at the ballot box and will soon lose in court,” a spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital.
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The legal fight comes as redistricting fights intensify ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Along with Texas and California, Louisiana’s fight before the Supreme Court could affect its map until the next election, depending on what the high court decides. Republicans in Utah were dealt a blow by a state judge who approved a new map that would tilt one of the state’s four districts in favor of Democrats.
