California Supreme Court issues decision on Republican redistricting challenge
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- California Supreme Court rejected GOP effort to delay redistricting changes.
- Justices ruled Republicans failed to prove constitutional grounds for relief.
- Democrats seek map changes in response to Texas GOP actions backed by Trump.
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Republican legislators to delay Democrats from gerrymandering the state’s congressional districts.
The justices said the emergency petition, filed earlier this week, “failed to meet their burden of establishing a basis for relief at this time under” the California Constitution.
A group of four Southern California Republican legislators argued Democrats were violating state law by not waiting 30 days to take up bills related to the effort and had asked the Supreme Court to force them to do so.
“We will continue to challenge this unconstitutional power grab in the courts and at the ballot box,” the legislators said in a statement after the ruling. “Californians deserve fair, transparent elections, not secret backroom deals to protect politicians.”
State Sens. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, and Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, and Assembly members Tri Ta, R-Westminster, and Kate Sanchez, R-Trabuco Canyon, made the request.
On Monday, Democratic lawmakers swapped out the text of three old bills and put in language to create new congressional districts, use those district boundaries through 2030 and call for a special election in November for voters to sign off on the plan. The “gut and amend” strategy is used to work around state deadlines.
The California Constitution requires the Legislature to wait 30 days to act on non-budget measures after they are introduced, but it also allows legislators to pass bills that have been unamended for 72 hours.
The Republican lawmakers contended that even though the bills were technically introduced beyond the 30-day window, the new text was so different that they should be subject to the longer waiting period. Interpreting the Constitution “to extend only to bill numbers rather than the substance of legislation would be comically absurd,” they said in the petition.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state Democratic legislators called for the map maneuver as a way to counteract an effort by the Texas Legislature to modify that state’s congressional districts. Texas lawmakers want to send more Republican representatives to Congress after the 2026 midterm election at the urging of President Donald Trump.
The new California maps were drawn to give Democrats a chance to win more seats. They currently hold 43 of the state’s 52 spots in the House of Representatives.
“California Republican Leaders are doing everything they can to rig this election and do the bidding for President Trump, including the filing of sham lawsuits,” state Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Santa Rosa, said in a statement. “Wednesday’s Court ruling is crystal clear. This is about fairness and voters will have the final say.”
The California Legislature is expected to vote on the redistricting plan Thursday.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 7:09 PM.
