California Republicans have ignited a legal battle by filing a lawsuit to block Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-controlled state legislature from moving forward with their plan to redraw congressional districts. The lawsuit, filed in California’s Supreme Court, challenges the rushed process, arguing that the state constitution mandates a 30-day review period for new legislation. The suit is being led by four GOP state lawmakers, who claim that the Democrat-led redistricting effort attempts to undermine the will of voters who approved Propositions 11 and 20 in 2008 and 2010.
According to the lawsuit, the Democrats’ push to add up to five Democratic-leaning congressional seats in California’s heavily blue state is a direct attempt to shift political power back to Sacramento elites. Republican Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, one of the four lawmakers behind the case, emphasized that the voters explicitly rejected partisan control over redistricting by passing these propositions. She argued that the current plan ignores the intent of the voters, stating, “Governor Newsom’s plan is a direct attempt to undo that mandate and put politicians back in control.”
In addition to the California lawsuit, Republicans in Texas are advancing their own redistricting plan, with support from President Donald Trump. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for multiple special sessions to push through a GOP-crafted map that would create up to five Republican-leaning congressional districts at the expense of currently Democratic-controlled seats in the red state. The move has been met with resistance from some Texas Democrats, who have fled the state in an attempt to prevent the GOP from securing a quorum and passing the map.
The legal battle over redistricting has taken center stage in both states as the 2026 midterm elections approach, with both parties vying to shape the next election cycle through electoral maps. The conflict highlights the broader national trend of states attempting to reshape their electoral maps in response to shifting political and demographic landscapes. Republicans are particularly focused on preventing Democrats from reclaiming the House majority in the midterms, as happened in 2018.
Newsom and Democrats have defended their redistricting plan as a necessary step to ensure fair representation, even as they face opposition from both Republicans and independent voters who value the non-partisan redistricting commission created by the 2008 and 2010 propositions. The state Republican Party has argued that the current process represents a blatant power grab, calling it an attempt to “tear apart communities, silence public input, and erase the transparency that voters demanded when they created the Citizens Redistricting Commission.”
Meanwhile, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has entered the fray, criticizing the Democrat-led push to temporarily replace the non-partisan redistricting commission. Schwarzenegger, who passed constitutional amendments in 2008 and 2010 that transferred redistricting power to an independent commission, has pledged to mobilize opposition to the Democratic plan. His involvement underscores the broader political and cultural significance of the redistricting battle in California.