Federal judge scorches Dems for pandering to Latinos with California map in fiery dissent

By Fox News · Fox News

A federal judge criticized the process by which California's voter-approved congressional map to redraw districts to favor Democrats in a dissenting opinion, saying the state engaged in "racial gerrymandering." Judge Kenneth Lee noted his concerns about race being a factor in his dissent as a panel of judges voted 2-1 to uphold the map. "California sullied its hands with this sordid business when it engaged in racial gerrymandering as part of its mid-decade congressional redistricting plan to add five more Democratic House seats," Lee wrote. "We know race likely played a predominant role in drawing at least one district because the smoking gun is in the hands of Paul Mitchell, the mapmaker who drew the congressional redistricting map adopted by the California state legislature," he added. DOJ ACCUSES DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN ARM OF OBSTRUCTION IN LAWSUIT OVER CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING The court rejected a claim by Republicans that the map approved as part of Proposition 50 violated the Voting Rights Act by drawing maps to favor Hispanic and Latino voters. READ THE COURT ORDER – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: The decision allows California to use the map, which could give Democrats more House seats. The California Republican Party said it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to issue an emergency injunction. "The well-reasoned dissenting opinion better reflects our interpretation of the law and the facts, which we will reassert to the Supreme Court," California GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said in a statement. "The map drawer’s plain statements acknowledging that he racially gerrymandered the Proposition 50 maps, which he and the legislature refused to explain or deny, in addition to our experts’ testimony, established that the courts should stop the implementation of the Prop 50 map. We look forward to continuing this fight in the courts." REPUBLICANS PUSH BACK OVER 'FALSE ACCUSATIONS OF RACISM' IN BLOCKBUSTER REDISTRICTING FIGHT Lee noted that mapmaker Paul Mitchell refused to appea…