{"id":2552374,"date":"2026-01-26T06:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-246\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T06:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:09:54","slug":"trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-246","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-246\/","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-246%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=2552374&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 administration filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court backing the California republican Party\u2019s emergency request to block California\u2019s new congressional map from taking effect ahead of the 2026 midterms, arguing the map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The DOJ says statements by the mapmaker, Paul Mitchell, show he drew District 13 to \u201cbolster\u201d Latino voting strength\u2014evidence that race, not politics, predominated\u2014and noted a dissenting judge\u2019s criticism that Mitchell avoided testifying under oath. The filing also presents three alternative maps that purportedly meet California\u2019s partisan objectives without separating voters by race and asks the Court to enjoin the Prop 50 map pending appeal. Associate Justice Elena Kagan requested California\u2019s response by Jan. 29; the move follows the Supreme Court\u2019s recent intervention in a Texas redistricting dispute, highlighting broader tensions over race- and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >partisan-based redistricting ahead<\/a> of the midterms.  <\/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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-asks-scotus-to-block-cas-congressional-map-2\/\" title=\"Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Block CA&#039;s ...\">gerrymandered congressional map ahead<\/a> 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__b89e9-2019121803\">\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:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-urges-supreme-court-to-block-new-ca-congressional-map\/\" title=\"... urges Supreme ... to block new CA ...\">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 ask SCOTUS to block gerrymandered map<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2552375,"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],"tags":[61196,6994,32640],"class_list":["post-2552374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-california-redistricting","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\/2552374","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=2552374"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2552378,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552374\/revisions\/2552378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2552375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2552374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2552374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2552374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}