Proposition 50 redraws California’s congressional map to include five Democratic districts in response to Texas redrawing its map.
WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice sued on Nov. 13 to block California from implementing its new congressional map, which could determine which party controls the House of Representatives in 2027.
“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.
“Newsom should be concerned about keeping Californians safe and shutting down Antifa violence, not rigging his state for political gain,” Bondi wrote in a post on X.
Today @TheJusticeDept sued @CAgovernor over his brazen Proposition 50 redistricting power grab.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) November 13, 2025
Newsom should be concerned about keeping Californians safe and shutting down Antifa violence, not rigging his state for political gain.https://t.co/Vi2WAS7VX4
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is joining a lawsuit filed last week by the California Republican Party to stop Proposition 50 from taking effect.
“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,” according to the lawsuit.
Proposition 50 redraws California’s congressional map to include five Democratic districts in response to Texas redrawing its map to add five GOP districts.
The lawsuit alleges that the new map is a violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. The former guarantees all citizens “equal protection” under the law, while the latter prohibits denying citizens the right to vote based on race.
The suit also stated that the new map was redrawn by a consultant paid by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to do the task, as opposed to it being done by legislators or the state of California.
The California GOP lawsuit was filed by Dhillon Law Group. Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights office, is recused from the case.
Newsom’s administration has been dismissive of the case.
