California Republicans Sue to Block Newsom's Redistricting Plan

California Republicans are suing to block Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to redraw California's congressional seats.

The Details: On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers in California filed a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to stop Democrats from advancing their plan to redraw congressional districts. The Republican lawmakers have delayed key votes at the house this week, arguing that the process being used by the Democrats "violates laws requiring a 30-day period between the introduction of legislation and voting on it". Redistricting could create five new Democratic U.S. congressional seats. Meanwhile, Newsom's pollster writes that the plan is supported by 57% of California voters, according to Axios (Lean Left bias).

Key Quote: “We are not going to sit idle while they command Texas and other states to rig the next election to keep power,” Newsom said, adding that the proposal gives Californians “a choice to fight back”.

For Context: Congressional redistricting has historically been done once a decade after each census, but Texas' efforts to redraw their districts early to gain Republican seats have led Newsom and other Democratic governors to look into redrawing their congressional maps early. In Texas, Democratic lawmakers initially left the state to block a redistricting vote there.

How the Media Covered It: The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) reported that the National Republican Congressional Committee is also challenging Newsom’s plan in court, saying it "disenfranchises voters to prop up the governor’s future political aspirations". The Guardian focused on the legislative issues, noting that Californians have given the mapmaking process to an independent commission, removing it from partisan influence. In general, the story was covered more widely on the left than on the right.

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.