California Governor Gavin Newsom gestures while speaking, as he announces the Golden State Literacy Plan and deployment of literacy coaches statewide, at the Clinton Elementary School in Compton, California, U.S. June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
Share
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Republican lawmakers in California have filed a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to stop Democrats from moving ahead this week with a plan to redraw congressional districts.
It was the latest move in an escalating national battle over redistricting that began this summer when President Donald Trump asked Texas leaders to help Republicans maintain control of the House of Representatives by reshaping congressional districts and delivering five additional seats for their party.
California Democrats responded Monday by introducing a package of bills to create new district boundaries that could help Democrats flip five seats in their state. Democratic state lawmakers, who control more than two-thirds of the California Legislature, plan to pass the bills Thursday and put the proposal before voters in a Nov. 4 special election.
The emergency petition, filed by four Republican state legislators, argues that the state constitution prohibits the Legislature from acting on the redistricting bills until Sept. 18 because new legislation requires a 30-day review period. The lawmakers said that more time was needed for the public to review the proposal, which would change the way some Asian American and Hispanic communities are represented.
States normally draw their congressional districts once a decade based on new census data, and the maps in California and Texas were initially created to last through the 2030 election cycle. But Trump’s request of Texas Republicans has prompted Democratic leaders to counter with their own mid-decade redistricting pursuit.
California, the nation’s most populous state, was an obvious place to start, given that it has the most congressional seats and is reliably Democratic. But the state has more barriers to redrawing maps because its constitution requires that an independent redistricting commission create congressional boundaries, and voters must approve any changes to that process.
—
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
By Laurel Rosenhall
c. 2025 The New York Times Company
