The US Justice Department have officially joined a legal challenge initiated by California Republicans, seeking to prevent the state's recently passed congressional redistricting map.
This court case, submitted to a US district court, challenges the redistricting plan supported by the state's Democratic governor, which was developed in reaction against a GOP redistricting effort in Texas.
"The state's redistricting scheme constitutes a blatant attempt to seize control that violates voting rights and mocks the democratic process," stated the US attorney general.
Democrats have expressed confidence that the new maps will withstand court challenges.
"These opponents lost at the ballot box and they are likely to face defeat in the judicial system," commented a representative for the governor.
Legal Basis
The lawsuit claims that California's map wrongfully utilized racial considerations to heavily favor Hispanic voters in violation of the US Constitution.
"It is unconstitutional to use race as a substitute to further partisan goals, but that is exactly what the state legislature did with the redistricting measure," argued a senior official from the DOJ's civil rights unit.
Political Context
This courtroom confrontation represents the major response by Democrats in the continuing redistricting war that started with Texas and has spread across various parts of the country.
Unlike other states, where GOP-controlled legislatures have enacted gerrymanders, California's plan needed public consent, which it received with approximately two-thirds of the vote.
Wider Consequences
Democrats need to gain just a handful of Republican-held House seats to gain majority of the House of Representatives in next year's midterm election.
The party that holds the controlling share will influence the remaining period of the current administration, determining whether a GOP-controlled legislature will continue to deliver its political program or encounter opposition, investigations and possible further challenges.
- Legal counsel for the plaintiffs is being provided by a prominent law firm
- The firm's founder currently serves as assistant attorney general
- Nevertheless, this attorney has been removed from this particular case
