Overview
- The three-judge panel in Los Angeles denied injunction requests, finding the voter-approved plan was a partisan gerrymander rather than an illegal racial one.
- Judges Josephine Staton and Wesley Hsu formed the majority, while Judge Kenneth K. Lee dissented, pointing to mapmaker Paul Mitchell’s statements as evidence that race predominated in at least one district.
- Proposition 50 passed in November with roughly 64% support and is designed to make up to five Republican-held seats more favorable to Democrats in the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.
- The ruling leaned on the Supreme Court’s December decision allowing Texas’s mid-decade map to stand, with Justice Samuel Alito noting partisan advantage as the clear impetus.
- With a March 6 filing deadline for the June primary, the decision keeps California’s 2026 election calendar on track as opponents prepare a likely appeal to the high court.