President Donald Trump’s administration sued the state of California over its new redistricting map on Thursday (13th), following the approval last week of a bill introducing new districts in the state.
The move could give Democratic-controlled California five more seats in the House and was aimed at countering Republican efforts to expand the party’s representation in Texas and other states under pressure from President Trump.
The Justice Department intervened as a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed Nov. 5 by the California Republican Party and 19 registered voters in the state. The lawsuit challenges California’s Proposition 50, a popular initiative that allows temporary use of new district maps for Congress.
“California’s redistricting plan is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and makes a mockery of our democratic process,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
“These losers have just lost at the polls and will soon lose in the courts,” a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Newsom said in an earlier statement that the state’s residents have been “particularly targeted” by the president and that redistricting would provide “much-needed accountability for President Trump’s efforts to undermine our democratic process.”
In August, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed a new Republican-backed law aimed at capturing five Democratic-held seats.
Civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit claiming Texas’ new map reduces voting rights for minorities.
A lawsuit filed by the California Republican Party claims that redrawing districts violates provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The Justice Department said in its complaint that California’s maps “manipulate district boundaries in the name of enhancing the voting power of Hispanic Californians based on race.”
About The Author
