Donald Trump’s government filed a lawsuit against California on Thursday (13) over new redistricting maps, after approving, last week, a measure accrediting new districts in the state.
The move could give the Democratic-majority state of California an additional five seats in the US House of Representatives, and was designed to act as a counterweight to Republican efforts to expand party representation in Texas and other states amid pressure from Trump.
The Department of Justice intervened as plaintiff in a lawsuit filed on November 5 by the California Republican Party and 19 registered voters in the state. The case challenges California’s Proposition 50, a grassroots initiative that allows the temporary use of new congressional district maps.
“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and makes a mockery of the democratic process,” US Attorney Pam Bondi said in a statement.
A spokesman for California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “These losers lost at the ballot box and will soon lose in the courts as well.”
In an earlier statement, Newsom said his state’s citizens were “specifically targeted” by the president and that redrawing electoral districts would provide “much-needed accountability for Trump’s efforts to undermine the democratic process.”
In August, the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed a new law supported by Republicans, aimed at winning five seats controlled by Democrats.
Civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the new Texas map, saying it reduces the voting power of minorities.
The lawsuit filed by California Republicans says that redrawing electoral districts violates provisions of the US Constitution. The Justice Department said in its complaint that California’s map “manipulates district lines in the name of enhancing the voting power of California’s Hispanic population because of their race.”
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