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The Department of Justice has moved to sue California in the wake of the state’s recent election, which saw voters approve a partisan measure that will implement congressional redistricting before the 2030 census in favor of Democrats.
According to attorney Mark Meuser with the Dhillon Law Group, the DOJ has filed a motion to “intervene in our lawsuit against the State of California over Proposition 50’s map.”
As reported by RSBN, California Republicans filed a lawsuit last week against the proposition, alleging racial gerrymandering in the proposed redrawn maps. The suit was filed by California Republican State Assemblyman David Tangipa, 18 California voters, and the California Republican Party.
Meuser previously explained the reasoning behind this lawsuit, arguing that “race was a predominant factor” in the redrawn maps. He alleged that the California legislature failed to do the necessary investigation “to determine if race was a valid reason to draw the lines that they did and because the state failed to properly test past discrimination…”
Thursday’s filing by the DOJ seeks to block the new congressional boundaries from going into effect. With the 2026 midterm elections just one year away, the new maps currently stand to flip several Republican House seats to Democratic control.
Attorney General Pam Bondi described California Governor Gavin Newsom’s push for this measure as a “brazen Proposition 50 redistricting power grab.”
“Newsom should be concerned about keeping Californians safe and shutting down Antifa violence, not rigging his state for political gain,” she wrote on X.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit from the DOJ alleges that race was used as a “proxy to advance political interests” in California, purportedly by attempting to strengthen Hispanic voters’ influence in the state’s elections.
The filing described this as “a rush-job rejiggering of California’s congressional district lines.”
Mr. Mauser noted in his written statement on social media, “We here at the @dhillonlaw welcome the support of the DOJ. Our lawsuit raises significant civil rights issues that warrant their participation. We remain hopeful that this case will protect millions of Californians whose voting rights the California legislature violated with Proposition 50’s unconstitutional congressional district map.”