California Republicans sue over new U.S. House map approved by voters

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By TRÂN NGUYỄN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Republicans filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block a new U.S. House map that California voters decisively approved at the ballot.

Proposition 50, backed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is designed to help Democrats flip as many as five congressional House seats in the midterm elections next year. The lawsuit claims the map-makers illegally used race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters, and asks the court to block the new boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The lawsuit was filed by The Dhillon Law Group, the California-based firm started by Harmeet Dhillon, who is now an assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice.

“The map is designed to favor one race of California voters over others,” Mike Columbo, whose plaintiffs include a state Republican lawmaker and 18 other voters, said at a news conference Wednesday. “This violates the 14th Amendment, guarantee of equal protection under the law, and the right under the 15th Amendment.”

Newsom’s office said on a social media post that the state hasn’t reviewed the lawsuit but is confident the challenge will fail.

“Good luck, losers,” the post reads.

It’s unclear whether a three-judge panel convened to hear such cases would grant a temporary restraining order before December 19, the date when candidates can start collecting voters’ signatures to lower the costs of their filing fee. It’s essentially the first step in officially running in the 2026 midterm elections. Columbo said he’s hoping to get a decision in the upcoming weeks.

Republicans have filed multiple lawsuits in California to block Democrats’ plan with little success so far.