{"id":2517125,"date":"2025-12-03T15:49:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:52:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:52:29","slug":"suit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional\/","title":{"rendered":"Suit: California&#8217;s Race-Based Gerrymandering Is Unconstitutional"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsuit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2517125&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent lawsuit challenges California&#8217;s new congressional map, alleging it was drawn with illegal racial intent, violating the Fifteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act. Filed by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) on behalf of several residents, the suit claims the map intentionally manipulates district boundaries to maintain a set number of Hispanic majority and black influence districts, thereby constituting race-based gerrymandering. The map, approved by voters through Proposition 50, is said to favor Democrats and counteract Republican gains in Texas.The lawsuit cites admissions from Paul Mitchell, a political data scientist involved in the map&#8217;s creation, who acknowledged racial goals in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-redistricting-fight-paused-as-republicans-win-temporary-victory\/\" title=\"Republicans win temporary victory, pause New York re...ing fight.\">drawing district lines<\/a>. This is the second legal challenge to the map, with the California GOP and the Department of Justice also contesting it. The issue of race-based redistricting remains under scrutiny, notably in a related Supreme Court case, Louisiana v.callais, which could impact future redistricting legal standards.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:2015-04-29_18_38_38_Welcome_to_California_sign_at_the_northwest_end_of_California_State_Route_266_in_Mono_County,_California.jpg\">Famartin\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/03\/lawsuit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Lawsuit:%20California%E2%80%99s%20Race-Based%20Gerrymandering%20Is%20Unconstitutional&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/03\/lawsuit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Lawsuit:%20California%E2%80%99s%20Race-Based%20Gerrymandering%20Is%20Unconstitutional&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/03\/lawsuit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/03\/lawsuit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Lawsuit:%20California%E2%80%99s%20Race-Based%20Gerrymandering%20Is%20Unconstitutional&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/03\/lawsuit-californias-race-based-gerrymandering-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>California&rsquo;s new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/experts-give-democrats-f-grade-for-trying-to-further-gerrymander-maryland-congressional-maps\/\" title=\"Experts Give Democrats \u2018F\u2019 Grade For Trying To Further Gerrymander Maryland ...s\">gerrymandered congressional map<\/a> was drawn &ldquo;with illegal racial intent and with illegal racial considerations,&rdquo; a new lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges. <\/p>\n<p>Brought on behalf of several California residents by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), the <a href=\"https:\/\/publicinterestlegal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-12-02-Noyes-Complaint-FILED.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legal challenge<\/a> contests the legality of the Golden State&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-win-new-yorks-redistricting-lawsuit-jeopardizing-four-democrat-u-s-house-seats\/\" title=\"Republicans Win New York&#039;s\u00a0Re...ing Lawsuit, Jeopardizing Four Democrat U.S House Seats\">recently enacted congressional map<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/11\/04\/california-passes-new-map-to-gerrymander-gop-out-of-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Approved<\/a> by California voters last month via a ballot amendment (Proposition 50), the new map seeks to further gerrymander the state in Democrats&rsquo; favor and offset potential gains resulting from Texas Republicans&rsquo; redistricting efforts. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2137841878\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As alleged by PILF, the new map &ldquo;unconstitutionally draws racial districts in violation of Plaintiffs&rsquo; civil rights protected by the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution &hellip; and Section 2(a) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.&rdquo; The elections group specifically claimed that the state did so by &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >intentionally distorting district boundaries<\/a> along racial lines to preserve a specific number of Hispanic majority districts and two Black influence districts.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Plaintiffs are California residents and voters who were injured when Proposition 50 deliberately enacted district boundaries created for racial purposes and with racial tools,&rdquo; the lawsuit reads. &ldquo;Plaintiffs will continue to suffer this injury while this electoral map is in place.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In its suit, PILF cites <a href=\"https:\/\/capitolweekly.net\/mapmaker-paul-mitchell-on-californias-emergency-redistricting-proposal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">comments<\/a> from Paul Mitchell, a political data scientist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/08\/15\/california-gerrymander-paul-mitchell-00510786\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tapped<\/a> to draw the new map. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/free-speech-group-squashes-universitys-bias-reporting-system-in-court\/\" title=\"Free Speech Group Squashes University\u2019s Bias Reporting System In Court\">legal group<\/a>, &ldquo;In an interview, Paul Mitchell admitted to drawing district lines with intentional racial goals.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When asked about his decision to place new districts in Los Angeles despite net population loss in the city, Paul Mitchell stated: &lsquo;we&rsquo;ve actually gained Latino population, so why would you remove districts from a Latino community that has been historic and has a lot of community of interest arguments in that district. Why take that out when you can just leave it there and let all of the districts in LA push out over the county area,&#8217;&rdquo; the lawsuit reads. <\/p>\n<p>PILF&rsquo;s legal challenge is the second to be filed against California&rsquo;s new map since its enaction. The other was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/doj-sues-to-block-california-map-that-could-tip-control-of-congress-to-dems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brought<\/a> by the California GOP and joined by the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p>The use of race in the redistricting process is front and center in a case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. <\/p>\n<p>Known as <em>Louisiana v. Callais<\/em>, the matter centers around the constitutionality of Louisiana&rsquo;s creation of a second black-majority district. As The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/08\/upcoming-scotus-case-could-reshape-redistricting-as-we-know-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the case &mdash; which was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/17\/here-are-6-key-moments-from-scotus-arguments-in-landmark-race-based-redistricting-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heard<\/a> by the high court in October &mdash; could produce major ramifications for the use of race in the redistricting process going forward. <\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/california-air-national-guard\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">California Air National Guard<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/congressional-maps\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">congressional maps<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Gavin Newsom<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawsuit\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Lawsuit<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pilf\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">PILF<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/public-interest-legal-foundation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Public Interest Legal Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/race-based\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">race-based<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/redistricting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">redistricting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California&#8217;s new congressional map allegedly drawn with illegal racial intent, lawsuit claims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2517127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/California.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[4045,37612,68160,5803,32570],"class_list":["post-2517125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-legal-challenge","tag-race-based-gerrymandering","tag-unconstitutional","tag-voting-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/California.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2517125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2517125"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2517125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2517129,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2517125\/revisions\/2517129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2517127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2517125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2517125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2517125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}