The US Justice Department has officially joined a lawsuit brought forward by California Republicans, aiming to halt the state's recently passed congressional redistricting map.
This legal action, submitted to a US district court, challenges the map championed by the state's Democratic governor, which was created in reaction against a Republican-led gerrymander in Texas.
"California's redistricting scheme represents a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process," declared the US attorney general.
The Democratic party have voiced assurance that the new maps will survive court challenges.
"The plaintiffs were defeated in the election and soon they will also lose in court," commented a representative for the governor.
Constitutional Challenge
The lawsuit claims that California's map improperly used racial considerations to significantly advantage Hispanic voters in violation of the federal constitution.
"It is unconstitutional to use race as a proxy to further partisan goals, but that is precisely what the state legislature did with Proposition 50," argued a high-ranking representative from the DOJ's civil rights unit.
Political Context
The legal battle constitutes the most significant counterpunch by the Democratic party in the ongoing redistricting war that began in Texas and has spread across multiple states.
Unlike other states, where Republican state legislatures have enacted gerrymanders, California's plan needed voter approval, which it received with approximately two-thirds of the vote.
Wider Consequences
The Democratic party need to gain just a handful of Republican-held House seats to gain majority of the chamber in next year's congressional elections.
The political group controlling the majority will influence the final years of the sitting president's term, deciding if a GOP-controlled legislature will continue to deliver its political program or face resistance, investigations and possible additional obstacles.
- Legal representation for the challengers is being handled by a prominent law firm
- The managing partner currently serves as assistant attorney general
- Nevertheless, this individual has been removed from this particular case
