The Supreme Court has allowed California to proceed with a new, Democrat-favorable congressional map for this year's elections, rejecting an appeal from state Republicans and the Trump administration.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted California to use its new voter-approved congressional map, which is expected to benefit Democrats in the upcoming elections. This decision rejected a final appeal from California Republicans and the Trump administration. The brief order, which did not include any dissents or explanation, is typical for the court's emergency docket. This ruling follows a previous decision where the justices allowed Texas's Republican-friendly map to be used, despite a lower court suggesting it likely discriminated based on race. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito had previously noted in December that both states appeared to adopt maps for political advantage, a basis the high court has ruled cannot lead to a federal lawsuit. Republicans, supported by the Trump administration, argued the California map also improperly relied on race, but a lower court disagreed in a 2-1 vote. The Supreme Court's unsigned order ensures that districts designed to potentially flip up to five Republican-held seats remain in place, contributing to a nationwide redistricting struggle impacting control of Congress in the midterm elections.
