The morning after California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, California Republicans filed a federal lawsuit against the redistricting measure, challenging it as an unconstitutional and racist gerrymandering effort.
The state’s Republican Party, Assemblyman David Tangipa (R-Fresno), and 18 individual GOP voters claim that the redrawn congressional districts are a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th and 15th amendments, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Sacramento.
The new districts for House seats were allegedly skewed in favor of Latino voters, the Republican lawsuit claims. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to everyone born in the United States and, more relevant to this lawsuit, guarantees equal protection of the law. The 15th Amendment says the right to vote cannot be denied because of a person’s race.
Although state officials are expected to take several days to complete the ballot count, support for Prop. 50 was ahead by an overwhelming margin (opens in new tab) in early results posted by the California secretary of state’s office. Nearly 64% of voters have approved the measure out of just over 8 million ballots counted. The results will be certified Dec. 12.
California voters in 2010 created an independent redistricting commission (opens in new tab) to draw federal congressional boundaries after each decennial census. Surveys have shown that the 14-member panel, which consists of five Democrats, five Republicans, and four unaffiliated voters, enjoys bipartisan support (opens in new tab).
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Prop. 50 was put forward by Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to the successful effort by Texas Republicans to gerrymander their state’s congressional districts to favor Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
The maps authorized by Prop. 50 were created to benefit Democratic candidates and may enable the party to grab five more seats in the House of Representatives. The California maps will be used for the next three election cycles, until the commission meets again to update the districts based on census results.
Newsom has portrayed the move as a temporary alteration meant to push back on the Trump administration’s attempts to solidify federal power. The argument apparently held sway with voters, who handed Newsom a major victory as he tries to boost his national profile in preparation for a potential presidential bid.
Tangipa serves as lead plaintiff in the action, joined by state Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin and the party.
“In one fell swoop, political insiders grabbed the power away from the people,” Rankin said after the race was called Tuesday. “I truly believe that the Republican Party is on the right side of history in this case.”
Mike Columbo, a partner at the Dhillon Law Group, and Mark P. Meuser are representing the plaintiffs.
The state’s Democratic Party chair said the Republicans were taking their cues from Trump at the expense of voters.
“California Republicans want to ignore the overwhelming majority of California voters — all to bend the knee to Donald Trump,” said Rusty Hicks. “California Democrats look forward to upholding the will of voters, electing even more Democrats and retaking the House in 2026.”
Newsom’s office was more dismissive, saying the lawsuit was not going to succeed.
“We haven’t reviewed the lawsuit, but if it’s from the California Republican Party and Harmeet Dhillon’s law firm, it’s going to fail,” a governor’s office spokesperson wrote in an email. “Good luck, losers.”