{"id":2549478,"date":"2026-01-23T15:55:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-4\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T15:56:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:56:30","slug":"trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Block CA&#8217;s Congressional Map"},"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\">18<\/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%2Ftrump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-4%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=2549478&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>The Trump governance&#8217;s Department of Justice has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court joining the California GOP&#8217;s emergency request to block the state&#8217;s new congressional map-approved by voters via Prop 50-arguing it is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander ahead of the 2026 midterms.The DOJ says evidence, including public statements by the mapmaker Paul Mitchell, shows race &#8220;predominated&#8221; in drawing District 13 to bolster Latino districts, and it submitted three alternative maps it says meet partisan objectives without sorting voters by race.The filing cites Judge Kenneth Lee&#8217;s dissent criticizing the lower court&#8217;s decision and Mitchell&#8217;s reluctance to testify under oath, and asks the Court to enjoin use of the Prop 50 map pending appeal.Associate Justice Elena Kagan has requested California&#8217;s response by Jan. 29. The move follows the Supreme Court&#8217;s recent intervention in a separate Texas redistricting dispute, where justices temporarily allowed a new map to proceed while questioning whether partisan, rather than racial, motives drove that redraw.  <\/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:Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States_-_Philosophical_Swag.jpg\">Philosophicalswag\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 3.0<\/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\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-admin-joins-california-gop-in-asking-scotus-to-block-states-unconstitutional-congressional-map\/\" 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=Trump%20Admin%20Joins%20California%20GOP%20In%20Asking%20SCOTUS%20To%20Block%20State%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Unconstitutional%E2%80%99%20Congressional%20Map&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-admin-joins-california-gop-in-asking-scotus-to-block-states-unconstitutional-congressional-map\/\" 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=Trump%20Admin%20Joins%20California%20GOP%20In%20Asking%20SCOTUS%20To%20Block%20State%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Unconstitutional%E2%80%99%20Congressional%20Map&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-admin-joins-california-gop-in-asking-scotus-to-block-states-unconstitutional-congressional-map\/\" 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\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-admin-joins-california-gop-in-asking-scotus-to-block-states-unconstitutional-congressional-map\/\" 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=Trump%20Admin%20Joins%20California%20GOP%20In%20Asking%20SCOTUS%20To%20Block%20State%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Unconstitutional%E2%80%99%20Congressional%20Map&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-admin-joins-california-gop-in-asking-scotus-to-block-states-unconstitutional-congressional-map\/\" 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>The Trump administration has joined the California GOP in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block the Golden State&rsquo;s new gerrymandered congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. <\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/25\/25A839\/392481\/20260122134919656_25A839_Tangipa_USA_resp_iso_appl_FILE.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brief<\/a> with SCOTUS on Thursday in support of the California Republican Party&rsquo;s emergency application to pause a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/federal-court-clears-californias-new-house-map-boosting-democrats-2026-midterms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lower court ruling<\/a> permitting the contested map to go into effect. The latter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/25\/25A839\/392124\/20260120124941071_20260120_SCOTUS_Emergency_App_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alleged<\/a> that the new map &mdash; which further gerrymandered the state in Democrats&rsquo; favor and was <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 voters last year &mdash; is unconstitutional because California &ldquo;expressly used race as the &lsquo;predominant factor&rsquo; in placing &lsquo;a significant number of voters within or without&rsquo; Congressional District 13.&rdquo;<\/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__b89e9-920601572\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;California&rsquo;s recent redistricting is tainted by an unconstitutional racial gerrymander,&rdquo; the Trump DOJ&rsquo;s filing reads. &ldquo;This Court should immediately enjoin, pending appeal, California&rsquo;s use of the Prop 50 map that displaced the independent commission&rsquo;s 2021 map.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In their filings, the DOJ and California GOP highlight <a href=\"https:\/\/capitolweekly.net\/mapmaker-paul-mitchell-on-californias-emergency-redistricting-proposal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remarks<\/a> from Paul Mitchell, the 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> by California officials to draw the new map. As alleged by the former, Mitchell &ldquo;candidly admitted that he drew district boundaries to &lsquo;&rdquo;ensure that the Latino districts&rdquo; are &ldquo;bolstered in order to make them most effective, particularly in the Central Valley&rdquo;&lsquo; &hellip; where District 13 is located.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[T]he mapmaker&rsquo;s statements are direct evidence that race, not politics, predominated in the drawing of District 13,&rdquo; the DOJ brief reads.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration also cited the observations of Judge Kenneth Lee, who <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/judiciary\/5693035-california-congressional-map-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dissented<\/a> from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map\/\" title=\"Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Block CA&#039;s ...\">lower court panel&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s decision to uphold the new map. They specifically noted Lee&rsquo;s assessment that Mitchell &ldquo;went to great lengths to avoid testifying under oath about how he drew the California map&mdash;even though he publicly talked about it to the press and interest groups before this lawsuit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And unlike the plaintiffs in the Texas case, applicants and the United States provided three alternative maps &hellip; each of which achieved California&rsquo;s stated partisan goals for District 13 without &lsquo;separating its citizens into different voting districts on the basis of race,&#8217;&rdquo; the DOJ brief reads. &ldquo;Under this Court&rsquo;s precedents, that direct and indirect evidence is more than enough to overcome the presumption of good faith &hellip; and establish that race predominated in drawing the boundaries of District 13.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While the Trump administration acknowledged that California&rsquo;s motivation in drawing a new map likely stems from its desire to counteract recent &ldquo;political gerrymander[ing]&rdquo; in Texas, it reaffirmed that such an &ldquo;overarching political goal is not a license for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >district-level racial gerrymandering<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That is plainly what occurred in District 13,&rdquo; the administration asserted. <\/p>\n<p>Associate Justice Elena Kagan &mdash; who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/about\/circuitAssignments.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">oversees<\/a> applications from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/docket\/docketfiles\/html\/public\/25a839.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asked<\/a> California to file a brief responding to plaintiffs&rsquo; request by Jan. 29.<\/p>\n<p>The California GOP and DOJ&rsquo;s request to pause the Golden State&rsquo;s map comes more than a month after the Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/04\/scotus-clears-the-way-for-texas-to-enact-new-congressional-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">temporarily paused<\/a> a lower court injunction that attempted to prevent Texas&rsquo; new congressional map from being used in the 2026 elections. In its 6-3 order, the high court determined that the lower court in that case &ldquo;improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-fleeting-scotus-victory-appeals-court-pauses-texas-border-security-law-again\/\" title=\"Appeals ... Temporarily Halts ... Border Security Law Following Brief Supreme ... Triumph\">delicate federal-state balance<\/a> in elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Associate Justice Samuel Alito authored a concurring opinion in the matter, in which he (as well as Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch) noted the &ldquo;strong inference that [Texas&rsquo;] map was indeed based on partisanship, not race.&rdquo; The Lone Star State&rsquo;s new map could help Republicans net five additional seats in the midterms. <\/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 is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. 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\/2026-midterms\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2026 midterms<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/california\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/california-republican-party\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">California Republican Party<\/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\/gerrymandering\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">gerrymandering<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/race-based-redistricting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">race-based redistricting<\/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<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/unconstitutional\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">unconstitutional<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump DOJ, CA GOP seek SCOTUS block of 2026 map<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2549479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SCOTUS-2.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[61196,58799,6994,32640],"class_list":["post-2549478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-california-redistricting","tag-congressional-map","tag-scotus","tag-trump-administration"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SCOTUS-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549478","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=2549478"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2549482,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549478\/revisions\/2549482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2549479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2549478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2549478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2549478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}