Federal court clears California’s new House map boosting Democrats ahead of 2026 midterms
California can move forward with a new U.S. House map that would boost Democrats’ chances in the 2026 midterms, a federal court ruled Wednesday.A three-judge panel in Los Angeles ruled...
By Fox News · Fox News
California can move forward with a new U.S. House map that would boost Democrats’ chances in the 2026 midterms , a federal court ruled Wednesday. A three-judge panel in Los Angeles ruled 2-1 to deny requests from both state Republicans and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to block the map from being used, giving Democrats a realistic chance at flipping up to five House seats in the midterm election. In November, California voters passed a ballot initiative , known as Proposition 50, dramatically altering the state's congressional districts. The pursuit of the new map was largely viewed as an attempt to offset recent redistricting in Texas, which generated more Republican-leaning districts. "Republicans’ weak attempt to silence voters failed," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "California voters overwhelmingly supported Prop 50 – to respond to Trump’s rigging in Texas – and that is exactly what this court concluded." FEDERAL JUDGES BLOCK TEXAS FROM USING REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL MAP The complaint challenged California's efforts to redraw the state's congressional map , with DOJ Civil Rights Division lawyers arguing that race was "used as a proxy" to justify creating districts that benefit Democrats. But California Democrats argued that the map was legal because it was drawn for partisan advantage. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering is a political question and not one for federal courts to decide. On Wednesday, the California panel sided with the state’s argument, saying there was insufficient evidence that the maps were drawn based on race. RED STATE MOVES FORWARD ON TRUMP-BACKED PUSH FOR NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP "After reviewing the evidence, we conclude that it was exactly as one would think: it was partisan," the judges wrote. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Lee, an appointee of President Donald Trump , said in dissent that at least one district was drawn using race as a factor "to curry favor with Latino groups and voters." S…