Four Republican state lawmakers in California filed a petition on Tuesday asking the state Supreme Court to put a stop to the redistricting plan proposed by state Democrats and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
It’s a development that could cause Democrats to lose valuable time. In order for election officials to prepare for a November special election on the redistricting plan, the California State Assembly must vote on the proposal by the end of this week.
“Today I joined my colleagues in filing a lawsuit challenging the rushed redistricting process. California’s Constitution requires bills to be in print for 30 days, but that safeguard was ignored. By bypassing this provision, Sacramento has effectively shut voters out of engaging in their own legislative process,” Assembly member Tri Ta, a Republican, wrote on X.
The battle over the California congressional districts emerged after President Donald Trump asked Texas lawmakers to redraw their state’s map to deliver Republicans five new seats in the House of Representatives, causing Texas Democrats to temporarily leave the state in an attempt to stall the vote.
In response to Texas’ partisan redistricting effort, California Democrats introduced their own tit-for-tat legislation called the “Election Rigging Response Act” that would redraw the state’s map and likely add five Democratic seats.
It would be a departure from the usual redistricting process in California, which is typically led by an independent commission after each census.
Republican legislators now argue that a quick vote on the redistricting proposal this week is prohibited by the California Constitution, which requires a 30-day review period on new legislation.
“Instead of a months-long transparent and participatory process overseen by an independent citizens redistricting commission for such a sensitive matter, the public would be presented instead with an up or down vote on maps unilaterally prepared in secret by the Legislature,” the Republicans’ suit states.
At a press conference Tuesday, Mike Columbo, a partner at Dhillon Law Group, which is handling the lawsuit, called the redistricting proposal’s short timeline a “flagrant violation of peoples’ rights under the Constitution of California.”
The California Constitution also requires the final text of a bill to have been published for 72 hours before lawmakers vote on it, which is why a vote hasn’t already taken place. A vote was expected to take place as early as Thursday.
Other challenges to the redistricting plan may be forthcoming. The National Republican Congressional Committee said in a statement that it is “prepared to fight this illegal power grab in the courts and at the ballot box to stop Newsom in his tracks.”
“Californians oppose Newsom’s stunt because they won’t let a self-serving politician rig the system to further his career,” the statement said.