Redistricting & Voting Rights

The Justice Department joined the California Republican Party’s lawsuit to block California’s voter‑approved Proposition 50 congressional map, with a three‑judge federal panel in Los Angeles hearing the case Monday and plaintiffs seeking a temporary restraining order by Dec. 19 ahead of 2026 candidate filings. DOJ alleges unconstitutional race‑based gerrymandering to favor Latino voters, while Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office defends the plan as lawful; the map, approved in November for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections, is designed to help Democrats flip as many as five seats.

The Supreme Court issued an unsigned emergency stay allowing Texas to use a mid‑decade, GOP‑drawn congressional map for now — after Justice Alito had briefly reinstated it — saying delays could interfere with candidate qualifying ahead of March 2026 primaries. A three‑judge lower court had found likely racial discrimination (with a Trump‑appointed judge writing there was “substantial evidence”), but the high court’s decision, criticized in Justice Kagan’s dissent as effectively locking in the map, preserves a plan pushed by former President Trump that could net Republicans up to five additional House seats and has already prompted political fallout, including Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s decision not to seek reelection.