The Justice Department has initiated a lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom and the State's Secretary of State Shirley Weber, challenging the state's latest redistricting plan under Proposition 50. The federal authority claims that the redistricting favors racial gerrymandering in contradiction to the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment calls for equal protection under the law, not favoring any particular race or ethnicity.
"The race-based gerrymandered maps passed by the California legislature are unlawful and unconstitutional," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California, as reported by the Justice Department's press release. The Department's key argument is that the new districts have been drawn with Latino racial demographics at the forefront, which goes against the legal requirement that race should not be the overriding consideration in such decisions.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi labeled the redistricting scheme a "brazen power grab," suggesting that it jeopardizes citizens' civil rights and derides the democratic process. The allegations note that the maps are designed to entrench one-party rule in California, stifling the voices of a diverse populace. A statement from Essayli maintains California may indeed draw its congressional maps, but they "may not be drawn based on race."
Furthermore, the legal action by the Justice Department seeks to halt the illegal maps' influence on future elections. "Californians were sold an illegal, racially gerrymandered map, but the U.S. Constitution prohibits its use in 2026 and beyond," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jesus A. Osete. The case, titled Tangipa, et al. v. Newsom, et al., is currently awaiting a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. A team including Assistant United States Attorney Julie A. Hamill and trial attorneys David Goldman, Joshua R. Zuckerman, and Greta Gieseke represents the United States in this contention.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon's recusal from the case has necessitated Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jesus A. Osete to step in as the Department's representative. Further inquiries regarding this lawsuit can be directed to Ciaran McEvoy, the Public Information Officer. Interested parties can read the full disclosure of the Justice Department's actions on its official website.
