On Thursday, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit in federal court to block California’s new congressional map. The case, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), joins a Republican lawsuit that opposes Proposition 50— a ballot measure approved by Californians that could reshape several U.S. House seats for the 2026 mid‑term election.
The DOJ’s complaint says the map created under Prop 50 is a “race‑based redistricting plan” that violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and the federal Voting Rights Act. Attorney General Pamela Bondi called California’s approach a “brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” according to a press release.
The DOJ seeks to intervene in the lawsuit named Tangipa v. Newsom, which was filed on November 5 by the California Republican Party and 19 voters. The plaintiffs claim that the new map unfairly favors Hispanic voters and constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The federal government asks the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to bar use of the map in the 2026 election and to declare that Prop 50 unlawfully limits voting rights because of race.
Prop 50 allows California’s legislature to replace the existing U.S. House districts—drawn by an independent commission—with a temporary map for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections. After the next national census, the commission would take back control of the process. The measure was designed as a counter‑measure to redistricting pushes in Republican‑led states. In August, Donald Trump urged Texas officials to redraw districts to “rig the 2026 United States mid‑term elections.” Prop 50 was framed by the state as a “temporary” response, and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the package on August 21, calling it the Election Rigging Response Act.
A “Yes on 50” campaign, funded by Newsom’s ballot‑measure committee and backed by the California Democratic Party, major labor groups, and civil‑rights organizations, urged voters to support the emergency congressional map. The campaign said the temporary districts would counter Trump’s plan to manipulate the 2026 election schedule.
Despite attempts by opponents to stop the ballot measure, state courts—including the California Supreme Court—allowed the election to proceed. On November 4, California voters approved Prop 50 by about 64 percent, based on official returns compiled by Ballotpedia.
Analysts at the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies estimate that the new districts could give Democrats up to five additional U.S. House seats, potentially offsetting Republican gains seen in states like Texas. Final outcomes will depend on how the districts play out in future elections.
On Wednesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee—a group that helped shape the map—was granted permission by the court to intervene in Tangipa v. Newsom to defend Prop 50. The DOJ’s lawsuit marks a new phase in the battle over U.S. congressional boundaries and the fight for fair representation in the 2026 election cycle.
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