A federal court blocked a GOP-led redistricting proposal in Texas on Tuesday, ruling the new congressional map amounts to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. But political and election experts say the decision has no impact on California\u2019s voter-approved effort to redraw its own congressional lines.<\/p>\n
The court ruling blocks Texas\u2019 new map from going into effect for the 2026 midterm elections. It aims to create five new districts favoring Republicans in the state. Texas Governor, Republican Greg Abbott appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump and Greg Abbott played with fire, got burned \u2014 and democracy won. This ruling is a win for Texas, and for every American who fights for free and fair elections,\u201d California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement, reacting to Tuesday\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n
This comes just weeks after California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which proponents, including Newsom, argued was necessary to counteract the Texas redistricting plan.<\/p>\n
But, Tuesday\u2019s ruling in Texas doesn\u2019t change Prop 50\u2019s implementation in California.<\/p>\n
Redistricting expert Paul Mitchell, who worked on the team responsible for drafting the map adopted through Prop 50, explained in a post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n \u201cSince everyone is asking: No, this doesn’t undo #Prop50<\/a>.\u00a0 The trigger language was removed in the legislative process as it was clear that TX was redistricting.\u00a0 So, even if their map is invalidated\/postponed, the Prop 50 maps stay in place,\u201d wrote redistricting expert Paul Mitchell in a post<\/a> on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mitchell referred to a \u201ctrigger clause\u201d state lawmakers removed from the redistricting legislation before it went to voters. It would have made Prop 50\u2019s implementation contingent on Texas or another red state going through with redistricting plans of their own. Absent the language, California\u2019s new map will go into effect regardless of what happens in other states, according to legal experts.<\/p>\n Texas was directly mentioned in the Prop 50 ballot language for California\u2019s special election, but the new map will still take effect for next year\u2019s midterms regardless of whether the Texas plan goes through.<\/p>\n \u201cSo no matter what happens in Texas, Prop 50, absent the federal courts intervening, is the law of the land now temporarily,\u201d explained Chris Micheli, professor of California politics and law at McGeorge Law School.<\/p>\n Temporarily, because the state\u2019s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission will take back the redistricting reins after the 2030 census.<\/p>\n Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley said he opposed Texas\u2019 redistricting plan from the start.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly think that any members of my own party who engaged in gerrymandering, I disagree with that,\u201d Kiley said. \u201cI also disagree with members of the other party who engaged in it. I think it’s wrong everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiley\u2019s district that currently stretches from Placer County down the Eastern Sierra to Death Valley is one of the five set to change under the Prop 50 map. He introduced legislation this summer to ban mid-decade redistricting nationwide, though Republican leadership in the U.S. House hasn\u2019t moved to take a vote on the measure.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that honestly we could still try to find a solution to this even at this late date with the uncertainty in the Texas case as well as the challenge in California,\u201d Kiley added.<\/p>\n Republicans still challenge California\u2019s proposal<\/p>\n California\u2019s Republican Party and the federal Department of Justice have challenged\u00a0 Proposition 50 through a lawsuit still pending in federal court.\u00a0<\/p>\n The parties argue California\u2019s new map violates the Voting Rights Act because it disproportionately benefits Latinos, the reverse of what opponents to the Texas redistricting plan alleged in their lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a bit of irony, the two legal challenges currently pending in Texas over their redistricting have been brought forth by minority legal organizations claiming that the Texas redistricting actually suppresses minority voters,\u201d said Micheli. \u201cObviously, the federal government hasn’t chosen to weigh in there.\u201d<\/p>\n