Trump administration joining legal fight over new California congressional map

The Trump administration is entering the legal fight against California’s newly passed congressional map that adds as many as five pickup opportunities for Democrats.

The Justice Department asked to formally intervene Thursday in a lawsuit filed by the California Republican Party last week after voters approved the new boundaries.

The administration claims the map is a racial gerrymander specifically designed to favor Hispanic voters in violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.

“In the press, California’s legislators and governor sold a plan to promote the interests of Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections,” the Justice Department wrote in court filings. “But amongst themselves and on the debate floor, the focus was not partisanship, but race.”

Sixty-four percent of California voters approved the measure, called Proposition 50 , in last week’s elections. It allows the state to bypass its independent redistricting commission and pass the new Democratic-friendly House map ahead of 2026, giving the party four or five pickup opportunities next year.

The Justice Department called it “rush-job rejiggering” that uses race as a proxy to advance political interests.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) championed the mid-decade redrawing after Texas Republicans passed a new GOP-friendly House map following pressure from President Trump.

Texas’s new map has also come under a legal challenge claiming it is a racial gerrymander. That lawsuit is brought by voting rights groups, individuals and two Texas Democratic lawmakers. A three-judge panel is set to rule after a multiday hearing last month.

The legal challenge in California is brought by the state GOP, a state legislator and voters.

They are represented by Dhillon Law Group, which is named for its founder, Harmeet Dhillon. Dhillon departed the group after Trump returned to the White House to lead his Justice Department’s civil rights division, which is now helming the effort to join the California map challenge.

Dhillon recused from the case.

Federal law allows the Justice Department to intervene, and no party is opposing it, court filings show. A judge already signed off on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee joining as well.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.