Overview
- U.S. District Judges Josephine Staton and Wesley Hsu formed the majority, finding challengers failed to prove race predominated in drawing the districts.
- Judge Kenneth K. Lee dissented, citing mapmaker Paul Mitchell’s public comments to argue race likely drove at least one district’s design.
- The ruling denies requests from the California Republican Party and the Trump administration’s Justice Department to block the map before the midterms.
- The panel referenced the Supreme Court’s recent green light for Texas’s mid‑decade map, with Justice Samuel Alito noting such efforts reflect partisan advantage rather than racial intent.
- Prop 50, approved by voters in November to target up to five GOP-held seats, will govern the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections unless a higher court intervenes, with Republicans expected to seek review.