Judges reject California Republican-led Prop 50 lawsuit

A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ruled against California Republicans on Wednesday, rejecting their claim that California’s new Congressional maps were racially motivated.

Almost immediately after California voters approved Proposition 50 in a special election last November, a group of the state's Republican leaders, joined by the U.S. Department of Justice, brought forth a lawsuit against the new Congressional maps. The new maps are designed to increase Democrats’ chances of getting elected in at least five districts, and give the party a better chance at taking control of Congress in the Midterm Election this year.

“Republicans’ weak attempt to silence voters failed. California voters overwhelmingly supported Prop 50 - to respond to Trump’s rigging in Texas - and that is exactly what this court concluded,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in a statement.

Newsom launched Proposition 50 last August in response to Texas’ own gerrymandering efforts aimed at erasing five seats held by Democrats. In November, over 64% of California voters said ‘yes’ to the measure.

State Republicans, set to lose seats, filed a lawsuit the morning after the election and asked a federal court to block the newly approved maps, claiming the measure violated the 14th and 15th Amendments by racially discriminating against voters in a way that favors Hispanic voters.

A report from Cal Poly Pomona and the Caltech Linde Center for Science, Society and Policy found that the new Congressional maps will retain 16 Latino-majority districts that were already in place, while creating two more Latino-influenced districts.

In a 2-1 decision, the panel asserted “the United States fails to show that the voters acted with discriminatory intent."

“Californians overwhelmingly voted in favor of Proposition 50,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement. “Today’s decision upholds the will of the people. It also means that, to date, every single challenge against Proposition 50 has failed. I couldn’t be prouder of my team for successfully defending this ballot initiative in court on behalf of Governor Newsom and Secretary of State Weber. We remain confident in the legality of Proposition 50.”