GOP lawmakers say the move to counter Texas maps bypasses voters and violates rules on how legislation must be introduced<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republican state legislators in California<\/a> filed suit on Tuesday to block a mid-year redistricting plan meant to counter Texas\u2019s effort to redraw congressional district lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The emergency petition argues that the process being used in the California<\/a> assembly violates laws requiring a 30-day period between the introduction of legislation and voting on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInstead 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,\u201d states the filing on behalf of senators Tony Strickland and Suzette Martinez Valladares, assemblymember Tri Ta and assemblymember Kathryn Sanchez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n California<\/a>\u2019s governor, Gavin Newsom, announced his state\u2019s redistricting plan last week in terms on social media mocking Donald Trump\u2019s flamboyance, intent on using the voting power of the US\u2019s most populous state to counteract Texas\u2019s redrawn map, which would be expected to deliver a net gain of five congressional seats to Republicans in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Newsom praised the California effort on Monday, calling it a necessary response to Trump\u2019s influence over redistricting in Texas and other Republican-led states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are not going to sit idle while they command Texas and other states to rig the next election to keep power,\u201d Newsom said, adding that the proposal gives Californians \u201ca choice to fight back\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To do so in time for a special election in November, the state assembly must pass the plan this year. As has been a common practice near the end of legislative terms, California lawmakers took an existing bill introduced earlier in the session and gutted it of its language, replacing it with legislation that overrides the state\u2019s neutral redistricting commission to present maps to voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n California Democrats are expected to advance their proposal out of committees on Tuesday and Wednesday. They have already received more than 13,000 public comments through an online portal, and the committee hearings offer the public a chance to provide feedback to lawmakers in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dozens of residents from up and down the state, leaders of local Republican groups and the conservative California Family Council showed up to a hearing on Tuesday to voice opposition to Democrats\u2019 plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some said the process has been shrouded in secrecy because the map was drawn without meaningful public input. Others said they would rather lawmakers focus on addressing issues instead of trying to bypass a bipartisan redistricting process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Public remarks may have little sway, though, as Democratic leaders are determined to rapidly advance the proposal. A Senate hearing on Tuesday began with key Democratic political allies testifying in support. Jodi Hicks, CEO of Planned Parenthood California, said Democrats need to take back the US House to protect women\u2019s freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t fight back, federal attacks on reproductive health care will only get worse,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Republican lawmakers said the plan would create mistrust among residents who already voted in 2010 to remove partisan influence from the mapmaking process. California voters gave that power to an independent commission, while Texas is among states where legislators draw maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are so many illegal and unethical elements in this attempt,\u201d Republican state senator Steven Choi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Newsom said the governor was unconcerned with the legal challenge seeking to blunt his redistricting effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRepublicans are filing a deeply unserious (and truly laughable) lawsuit to stop Americans from voting?\u201d Brandon Richards, the spokesperson, said. \u201cWe\u2019re neither surprised, nor worried.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mandeep Dhillon law firm filing the suit was previously owned by Harmeet Dhillon, who is now assistant attorney general overseeing the US Department of Justice civil rights division. Dhillon was known for her efforts to sue California\u2019s university system to overturn policies which barred controversial conservative speakers from appearing. She sold her firm to her brother Mandeep Singh Dhillon after Trump nominated her to take over civil rights enforcement in his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The suit does not challenge \u201cgut and amend\u201d in principle, but rather asks the court \u201cto enforce an external constitutional constraint against the Legislature to protect the people\u2019s rights\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Internal polling presented to lawmakers showed voters favored the measure 52% to 41%, with 7% undecided, according to the local television station KCRA<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Republicans in California condemned the proposal as an assault on the state\u2019s voter-approved independent redistricting commission and said they plan to introduce legislation that advocates for creating similar map-drawing bodies in all 50 states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGovernor Newsom, this is nothing more than a power grab,\u201d Strickland said during a Monday news conference in Sacramento.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He warned the redistricting tit-for-tat sets a dangerous precedent that will not be easily undone. \u201cThe Golden Gate Bridge toll was supposed to be temporary,\u201d he added. \u201cYou\u2019re still paying the toll.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The legislature could hold floor votes to send the measure to voters for approval as soon as Thursday, KCRA reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n House Republicans currently hold a razor-thin three-seat majority in the US House and Trump has pushed to redraw district boundaries ahead of next year\u2019s midterm elections, in which the president\u2019s party typically loses seats. Republicans are also poised to redraw congressional districts in Ohio, Missouri and Florida, and potentially Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n