Supreme Court allows new California congressional districts that favor Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court connected Wednesday allowed California to usage a caller voter-approved legislature representation that is favorable to Democrats successful this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from authorities Republicans and the Trump administration.

No justices dissented from the little bid denying the entreaty without explanation, arsenic is communal connected the court's exigency docket.

The justices had antecedently allowed Texas’ Republican-friendly representation to beryllium utilized successful 2026, contempt a lower-court ruling that it apt discriminates connected the ground of race.

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote successful December that it appeared some states had adopted caller maps for governmental advantage, which the precocious tribunal has antecedently ruled cannot beryllium a ground for a national lawsuit.

Republicans, joined by the Trump administration, claimed the California representation improperly relied connected race, arsenic well. But a little tribunal disagreed by a 2-1 vote. The Justice Department and White House did not instantly respond to messages seeking comment.

The justices' unsigned bid keeps successful spot districts that are designed to flip up to 5 seats present held by Republicans, portion of a tit-for-tat nationwide redistricting conflict spurred by President Donald Trump, with power of Congress connected the enactment successful midterm elections.

Last year, astatine Trump's behest, Texas Republicans redid the state's legislature districts with an oculus connected gaining 5 seats.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is eying a 2028 statesmanlike run, pledged to respond successful kind, though helium had to triumph implicit voters, not conscionable lawmakers, to bash so.

Newsom celebrated the court's decision, saying connected societal media that Trump had “started this redistricting war” and would extremity up losing retired successful the November midterms, erstwhile power of Congress is astatine stake.

The California Republican Party, which brought the case, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

One longtime enactment strategist, Jon Fleishman, a erstwhile enforcement manager of the California Republican Party, said successful a station connected X that the determination means “this year’s elections volition instrumentality spot connected the caller lines shrinking the already precise tiny Republican delegation from California."

Filing for legislature primaries successful California begins connected Monday.

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Associated Press writers Michael Blood successful Los Angeles and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.

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