US Department of Justice sues California over new voter maps favoring Democrats

(Patria) - The US Department of Justice is filing a lawsuit against California over new congressional maps approved by voters in last week's elections, the BBC reported.

The new maps favor Democrats and aim to nullify gains Republicans made through recently redrawn districts in Texas. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused California Governor Gavin Newsom of a "brazen" power grab using racially manipulated maps.

California voters overwhelmingly approved a redistricting measure known as Proposition 50, giving Democrats an advantage in five new congressional districts.
"These losers lost at the ballot box, and they will soon lose in court," a Newsom spokesperson said in a statement to BBC News.

Bondi accused Newsom of trying to "entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians" by moving the boundaries of new congressional districts.

"Newsom should be concerned about the safety of Californians and stopping Antifa violence, not rigging his state for political gain," she said.

The Department of Justice filed the lawsuit in federal court in California on Thursday, seeking to block the new maps.

Federal prosecutors accuse Democratic Governor and Secretary of State Shirley Weber of prescribing "racially manipulated congressional districts" – a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Gerrymandering, the redrawing of congressional districts to give a party an electoral advantage, is legal in the US, but unconstitutional if based on race.

The Department of Justice cited "significant evidence" that California's legislature created a new map in which Latino demographics and racial considerations were dominant.

"Race cannot be used as a proxy for advancing political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Proposition 50," said Jesus A. Osete, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in a statement. "Californians were sold an illegal, racially manipulated map, but the US Constitution prohibits its use from 2026 onwards."

The maps are part of a national redistricting effort initiated by President Donald Trump to tip the scales in the 2026 midterms in favor of his Republican Party and secure their majority control of the US House of Representatives.

Newsom launched a campaign in August to suspend California's independently drawn maps to "fight fire with fire" after Texas Democrats fled the state to stop a vote on maps that would have given Republicans additional seats in the House of Representatives.