SAN DIEGO (CNS) - One day after California voters approved Proposition 50, redrawing the state's congressional district lines to boost Democratic representation in Washington, state Republicans filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of the measure.
Assemblyman David Tangipa, R-Fresno, the California Republican Party, and 18 district voters brought the lawsuit, which asks a judge to block the new district lines at least temporarily so California's original map stays in effect for the 2026 midterm elections.
The suit, which also names California Secretary of State Shirley Weber as a defendant, argues that the new Proposition 50 maps are unconstitutional because they improperly use voters' race as a factor in drawing districts and asks the court to block them from taking effect.
"Proposition 50 represents a mid-decade redistricting, precisely the kind of legislative interference that the California Constitution was designed to prevent," the 26-page complaint contends. "It attempts to substitute a legislative map for the one lawfully adopted by the (state redistricting) commission, without any intervening census or constitutional authorization. It attempts to create a third option way for legislators to interpose themselves on a process in which they otherwise were barred from participating in."
The plaintiffs are represented by the Dhillon Law Group, founded by Harmeet Dhillon, who is now the assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice under President Donald Trump.
"I'm appalled by what has happened -- what the Legislature really pushed through, what the governor has done to violate and break the Constitution," Tangipa said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the lawsuit. "And when I said that the fight for California has just begun, I hope everybody knows I meant that."
Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which supporters dubbed "The Election Rigging Response Act." As of Wednesday morning's latest vote tally, the measure was leading 63.8%-36.2%, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who conceived of what would become Proposition 50 after Texas adopted a mid-decade congressional redistricting plan favorable to Republicans, on Tuesday night called its passage "not just a victory tonight for the Democratic Party, it was a victory for the United States of America, for the people of this country and the principles that our Founding Fathers lived and died for."
Proposition 50 establishes new congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections that will also be used for the 2028 and 2030 elections. An analysis by the election news website Ballotpedia said it would shift five Republican-held congressional districts toward Democrats.
Democrats hold a 43-9 advantage in the state's House delegation.
The measure came in response to an effort in Texas for a mid-decade congressional redistricting that analysts said would give Republicans five additional seats. Other Republican-controlled states such as Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nebraska and South Carolina are also considering efforts to approve mid-decade redistricting.
Backers of Prop 50 said it "draws fair maps that represent California's diverse communities and ensure our voices aren't silenced by Republican gerrymandering in other states."
"Californians made their voices heard -- we will not let Donald Trump and his allies rig our democracy or silence our votes," San Diego City Council member Marni von Wilpert, a Democrat, said in a statement issued Tuesday night. "Proposition 50 protects our voice at the ballot box and gives us a real chance to take our country back, starting right here in Southern California."
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, called Prop 50 "the worst gerrymander in history."
Issa, who unsuccessfully sued earlier in an effort to block the measure, said in a statement, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll continue to represent the people of California -- regardless of their party or where they live."
The 48th Congressional District that Issa represents will lose parts of San Diego County and add more of Riverside County under the new maps.
Mike Columbo, a plaintiffs' attorney in the federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, said the proposition will be found unconstitutional, because the Legislature had no legal basis to move forward with a redistricting effort.
"The record we have establishes that ... before the maps were voted upon and after, analyses were conducted that concluded that there was no voting rights problem in California's prior maps for the Legislature to remedy," he said. "Further, there is no evidence whatsoever that the California Legislature in fact circulated any such analysis to the legislators for them to consider when they cast their votes to launch Proposition 50."
MORE ON PROP. 50:
- California voters approve new US House map to boost Democrats in 2026
- How East County would feel the effects of Prop. 50
- Proposition 50 could reshape San Diego County's political landscape
- Newsom rallies support for Prop 50 to redraw California congressional districts
- Proposition 50 faces potential legal battles if voters approve redistricting measure
- New poll shows where San Diegans stand as Prop. 50 vote approaches
- Chair of California Citizens Redistricting Commission details map-drawing process
- EXPLAINER: California voters to decide on temporary congressional redistricting change
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