California GOP files emergency application with Supreme Court to challenge Proposition 50
5 P.M. CALIFORNIA’S NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS UNDER PROPOSITION 50 CAN REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR NOW. THIS IS A CRITICAL RULING BY THE COURTS. THANKS FOR JOINING US AT FIVE. I’M LISA GONZALEZ AND I’M GULSTAN DART. SO A PANEL OF FEDERAL JUDGES TODAY REJECTED A REQUEST FROM REPUBLICANS TO BLOCK THESE NEW MAPS. THOSE MAPS WERE RECENTLY REDRAWN TO HELP DEMOCRATS IN FUTURE ELECTIONS. KCRA THREE POLITICAL DIRECTOR ASHLEY ZAVALA WITH US RIGHT NOW WITH MORE ON THIS DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT’S LIKELY NEXT TO COME. ASHLEY OLSEN, THIS FIGHT IS HEADING TO THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. JUST WITHIN THE LAST HALF HOUR, THE CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY’S LEADER SAID THEY WILL BE ASKING FOR AN EMERGENCY INJUNCTION FROM THE NATION’S HIGHEST COURT. HERE, CALIFORNIA’S DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PUSHED FOR THESE NEW MAPS, AND VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED THEM IN RESPONSE TO TEXAS. LAST YEAR, TEXAS REDREW ITS MAPS TO HELP GET MORE REPUBLICANS ELECTED TO THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. HALFWAY THROUGH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S TERM, REPUBLICANS IN CALIFORNIA ASKED A PANEL OF FEDERAL JUDGES IN CALIFORNIA TO BLOCK THE MAPS, CLAIMING THEY WERE DRAWN TO FAVOR LATINO VOTERS. IN A 2 TO 1 DECISION, THE JUDGES DENIED THE REQUEST. JUDGE JOSEPHINE STATON WROTE, QUOTE, WE FIND THAT CHALLENGERS HAVE FAILED TO SHOW THAT RACIAL GERRYMANDERING OCCURRED, AND WE CONCLUDE THAT THERE IS NO BASIS FOR ISSUING A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION HERE ON THE MAPS IN CALIFORNIA. THE JUDGE WHO SIDED WITH REPUBLICANS, JUDGE KENNETH LEE, IN HIS DISSENTING OPINION, WROTE, QUOTE, THIS COURT SHOULD HAVE ACTED TO PREVENT CALIFORNIA FROM FOLLOWING AN UNLAWFUL PATH THAT WILL INEVITABLY SOW RACIAL DIVISIONS AND UPSET THE MELTING POT THAT MAKES CALIFORNIA GREAT. AFTER THE ORDER CAME DOWN, I CHECKED IN ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS CASE. CALIFORNIA’S DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA, AND ONE OF THE REPUBLICANS WHO FILED THIS LAWSUIT, ASSEMBLYMAN DAVID TONY LOPEZ. BOTH ARE BRACING FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO WEIGH IN. IT WAS CREATED COMPLETELY LAWFULLY. IT IS COMPLETELY LAWFUL. AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE, I BELIEVE, A NUMBER OF FOLKS PLAYING PARTIZAN POLITICS HERE INSTEAD OF TRUE FACTS AND LAW, APPLICATION OF FACTS AND LAW. I’M CONFIDENT IN WHATEVER COURT WE’RE IN THAT PROP 50 WILL BE UPHELD. AND WE HAD A BIG WIN TODAY WITH THE THREE JUDGE PANEL IN IN FEDERAL COURT. AND IF WE GO TO THE US SUPREME COURT, I’M CONFIDENT THERE AS WELL. THIS WAS A SPLIT DECISION. AND I WOULD SAY THAT THAT’S NOT A FULL REPUDIATION, THAT WHAT WE WERE DOING WAS FULL OF IT, I GUESS IS THE EASY WAY TO SAY IT. SO IT’S A 2 TO 1 SPLIT DECISION. AND AGAIN, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE PUSH THIS AS FAR AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. OUR CASE IS SOMETHING THAT IS ROOTED IN CASE LAW. IT IS ROOTED IN HISTORY. SO WE EXPECT JUST A FAIR SHOT. AND THAT’S ALL I WANT. THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT UPHELD TEXAS’S MAPS, WHICH AGAIN, THOSE WERE DRAWN FOR REPUBLICANS. CALIFORNIA’S CURRENT MAPS, WHICH WERE DRAWN BY AN INDEPENDENT CITIZEN LED REDISTRICTING COMMISSION, HAVE ALLOWED NINE REPUBLICANS TO REPRESENT THE STATE IN CONGRESS WITH THE NEW MAPS. EXPERTS SAY THAT NUMBER COULD GO DOWN TO FOUR. ALL RIGHT, SO THIS IS GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTING, OBVIOUSLY. SO WHAT’S THE TIMELINE I’M ASSUMING. COULD WE SEE THIS GO TO THE SUPREME COURT. RIGHT. AS WE’VE BEEN TALKING I MEAN THE TIMELINE COULD BE COMPRESSED, BUT IT’S TO BE SEEN. REPUBLICANS WANTED THIS WRAPPED UP BY NEXT MONTH. THE FILING DEADLINE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO RUN FOR CONGRESS TO REPRESENT CALIFORNIA IN WASHINGTON, D.C., IS IN THE BEGINNING OF MARCH, BUT IT’S REALLY NOT CLEAR HOW MUCH THAT DEADLINE WILL SWAY THE COURT TO MOVE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. ASSEMBLYMAN DAVID TONG DID NOTE, THOUGH, THAT THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DID MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY FOR TEXAS. THEY WOULD ANTICIPATE T
California GOP files emergency application with Supreme Court to challenge Proposition 50
Updated: 12:40 PM PST Jan 20, 2026
The California Republican Party said Tuesday it had filed an emergency application at the U.S. Supreme Court in the hopes of blocking California from using newly approved congressional district maps in the 2026 elections.The filing by the Dhillon Law Group asks Justice Elena Kagan, who is assigned to the Ninth Circuit, to issue an injunction pending appeal that would temporarily reinstate election maps that were in place before California voters approved Proposition 50. Those earlier maps were created by a citizens-led independent commission. (Earlier coverage in the video above.)Under Proposition 50, maps targeting five districts were redrawn to become more favorable for Democrats. The maps are set to be used for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.Proposition 50 was originally introduced as a countermeasure to Texas’ efforts to send more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. Ahead of the midterm elections, where power shifts can often happen, President Donald Trump first asked Texas to redraw its districts to send more Republicans to Congress.Earlier this month, a panel of federal judges upheld California’s newly drawn maps. Republicans argue the new maps violate the Voting Rights Act by favoring Latino and Hispanic voters.“California cannot create districts by race, and the state should not be allowed to lock in districts that break federal law,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said in a statement. “Our emergency application asks the Supreme Court to put the brakes on Prop. 50 now, before the Democrats try to run out the clock and force candidates and voters to live with unconstitutional congressional districts. Californians deserve fair districts and clean elections, not a backroom redraw that picks winners and losers based on race.”KCRA 3 has reached out to the governor’s and attorney general’s offices for comment. The Supreme Court has allowed Texas’ maps to proceed after a legal challenge there alleging the maps were racially discriminatory. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
The California Republican Party said Tuesday it had filed an emergency application at the U.S. Supreme Court in the hopes of blocking California from using newly approved congressional district maps in the 2026 elections.
The filing by the Dhillon Law Group asks Justice Elena Kagan, who is assigned to the Ninth Circuit, to issue an injunction pending appeal that would temporarily reinstate election maps that were in place before California voters approved Proposition 50. Those earlier maps were created by a citizens-led independent commission.
(Earlier coverage in the video above.)
Under Proposition 50, maps targeting five districts were redrawn to become more favorable for Democrats. The maps are set to be used for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.
Proposition 50 was originally introduced as a countermeasure to Texas’ efforts to send more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. Ahead of the midterm elections, where power shifts can often happen, President Donald Trump first asked Texas to redraw its districts to send more Republicans to Congress.
Earlier this month, a panel of federal judges upheld California’s newly drawn maps.
Republicans argue the new maps violate the Voting Rights Act by favoring Latino and Hispanic voters.
“California cannot create districts by race, and the state should not be allowed to lock in districts that break federal law,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said in a statement. “Our emergency application asks the Supreme Court to put the brakes on Prop. 50 now, before the Democrats try to run out the clock and force candidates and voters to live with unconstitutional congressional districts. Californians deserve fair districts and clean elections, not a backroom redraw that picks winners and losers based on race.”
KCRA 3 has reached out to the governor’s and attorney general’s offices for comment.
The Supreme Court has allowed Texas’ maps to proceed after a legal challenge there alleging the maps were racially discriminatory.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel