DOJ accuses Democratic campaign arm of obstruction in lawsuit over California redistricting
The Department of Justice accused the Democratic campaign arm of Congress of withholding key redistricting documents, an allegation that surfaced just before a three-day hearing kicked off Monday in federal...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Department of Justice accused the Democratic campaign arm of Congress of withholding key redistricting documents, an allegation that surfaced just before a three-day hearing kicked off Monday in federal court over California’s Proposition 50. The DOJ argued in court papers that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and consultant Paul Mitchell, who drew California's new map proposal, attempted to hinder the discovery process, including by dumping several gigabytes of files on the government less than two days before the hearing was set to begin. The documents that they did provide, according to DOJ lawyers, included evidence that Mitchell "prioritized racial considerations" when he drew the Proposition 50 map, such as a slide deck he made promoting how the map would increase voting opportunities for Latino residents. DOJ BACKS TEXAS IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT OVER REPUBLICAN-DRAWN MAP DOJ attorneys said the DCCC misled the court by claiming it lacked control over Mitchell’s records despite having a contractual right to his materials. The DCCC therefore had an obligation to produce responsive records as part of the discovery process, the lawyers said. Meanwhile, Mitchell withheld documents, raised baseless privilege objections dozens of times in his deposition and belatedly produced only a fraction of his tens of thousands of files to the court, the DOJ lawyers said. The court clash is part of a lawsuit the DOJ joined against Gov. Gavin Newsom and the DCCC. The lawsuit alleged that Proposition 50, which would allow the state to draw a more Democrat-friendly map in time for the 2026 midterms, involved unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. The litigation is one of many redistricting disputes that have cropped up across the country ahead of next year's election. Proposition 50, which passed as a ballot measure in November, was a direct response to a mid-decade redistricting effort in Texas and designed to cancel out the five Republican gains there. The Supr…