Overview
- The DOJ moved to intervene in Tangipa et al. v. Newsom in the Central District of California, alleging the Prop 50 map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander favoring Hispanic voters.
- Federal lawyers asked the court to bar California from using the new districts in the 2026 election and in future contests.
- Proposition 50 passed on Nov. 4 with roughly two-thirds support, temporarily shifting congressional map-drawing from the state’s independent commission to the legislature.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office dismissed the challenge, with a spokesperson saying opponents lost at the ballot box and will lose in court.
- The Justice Department cited legislative-record evidence that Latino demographics predominated in mapmaking, and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon was recused because her former firm represents the plaintiffs.