California Republican Party files lawsuit aimed at blocking state’s new House maps after Prop. 50 approved
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) — The day after California voters approved new congressional district boundaries, the California Republican Party on Wednesday announced a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking the state’s new House maps.
State Assemblyman David Tangipa, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, discussed it at morning press conference where he was joined by Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, and attorney Mike Columbo of the Dhillon Law Group.
Eighteen California voters are also co-plaintiffs in the suit, which alleges that newly approved Proposition 50 “unconstitutionally gerrymanders districts in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments.”
The ballot measure created a new congressional map with the goal of giving Democrats five more of the state’s 52 congressional seats. It easily passed.
The Dhillon Law Group is a California-based firm started by Harmeet Dhillon, who now works for the U.S. Department of Justice.
“The map is designed to favor one race of California voters over others,” Columbo told reporters. “This violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law, and the right under the 15th Amendment to not have one’s vote abridged on account of race.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said on a social media post that the state hasn’t reviewed the lawsuit but is confident the challenge will fail.
“Good luck, losers,” the post reads.
California voters approved Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would implement a new congressional map drawn to elect more Democrats to the U.S. House.
It’s unclear whether a three-judge panel convened to hear such cases would grant a temporary restraining order before December 19, the date when candidates can start collecting voters’ signatures to lower the costs of their filing fee. It’s essentially the first step in officially running in the 2026 midterm elections. Columbo said he’s hoping to get a decision in the upcoming weeks.
Republicans have filed multiple lawsuits in California to block Democrats’ plan with little success so far.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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