Court to Hear Arguments In Lawsuit Over California’s Prop 50
A federal court battle over California’s controversial congressional redistricting scheme formally began Monday in Los Angeles, opening a high-stakes legal fight that could determine control of multiple U.S. House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The case is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, with Judge Josephine L. Staton presiding, The Center Square reported. At issue is Proposition 50, a ballot measure approved by California voters on Nov. 4 that dramatically altered the state’s redistricting process in a way critics say was designed to benefit Democrats.
The U.S. Department of Justice, now operating under President Donald J. Trump’s second-term administration, is among the plaintiffs challenging the measure. Opponents argue Proposition 50 could hand Democrats as many as five additional House seats by redrawing district lines mid-decade—an extraordinary move traditionally reserved for post-census adjustments.
The lawsuit follows a similar redistricting effort in Texas, where Republicans pursued mid-decade map changes that also had the potential to net roughly five additional House seats. Plaintiffs in the California case are seeking a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the new congressional boundaries.
“We want our day in court to make sure we’re making all of our arguments and the people are heard,” Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, previously told The Center Square.
“Under the [Voting Rights Act], there are very clear standards,” Tangipa said. “I do believe the state of California did not follow those standards.”
Last month, a federal court temporarily blocked Texas’ mid-decade redistricting plan, finding that the Republican-led legislature likely violated federal voting rights laws by drawing districts that discriminated against voters of color, according to prior reporting by The Center Square. California Democrats, who pushed Proposition 50 through a special election, have faced similar accusations.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court later stepped in and allowed Texas’ new congressional maps to take effect. In a 6–3 decision, the justices concluded the state was likely to prevail on the merits and sharply criticized lower courts for committing “significant legal errors” in blocking the maps.
That ruling has cast uncertainty over how courts will ultimately resolve the legal challenge to California’s Proposition 50.
“In letting Texas use its gerrymandered maps, the Supreme Court noted that California’s maps, like Texas’s, were drawn for lawful reasons,” Brandon Richards, deputy director for rapid response for the governor’s office, told The Center Square. “That should be the beginning and the end of this Republican effort to silence the voters of California.”
Critics counter that the process behind Proposition 50 was anything but organic.
Reports in October showed the push to pass Prop. 50 ranked among the most expensive ballot measure campaigns in California history. According to CalMatters, campaigns for and against the measure raised more than $215 million as of Oct. 2, with over $100 million pouring in during September alone.
Only Proposition 22 in 2020, which addressed rideshare driver employment status, and Proposition 27 in 2022, which sought to legalize online gambling, exceeded that level of spending over the past decade.
The campaign backing Proposition 50—led by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom—raised more than $138 million, state filings show. Roughly $49 million, or about 40% of that total, came from small-dollar donations under $100, with many of those contributions reported by the House Majority PAC.
Five major donors accounted for more than $25 million of the total, CalMatters reported:
- $10 million: House Majority PAC, a SuperPAC dedicated to electing Democrats to Congress
- $10 million: George Soros’ Fund for Policy Reform
- $6.9 million: MoveOn.org
- $3 million: California Teachers Association
- $3 million: National Education Association
Newsom also transferred $2.6 million from his 2022 reelection campaign to bolster the “Yes” effort. According to a CalMatters analysis of California Secretary of State data, more than 68,000 individual donors contributed to the campaign.
As the case moves forward, the lawsuit is shaping up as a major test of whether deep-pocketed Democratic interests can legally redraw the political map to lock in congressional power—or whether federal courts will step in to rein them back.