Lawsuit Challenges California's Proposition 50 Map as a Racial Gerrymander; Seeks TRO to Reinstate Old Map

Los Angeles, CA – November 7, 2025, 6:46 PM PST -- Constitutional law attorney Mark Meuser has filed a federal lawsuit challenging California's newly approved Proposition 50 congressional map, alleging it constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The lawsuit was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Friday, hours after the proposition passed with voter approval on November 5.

Proposition 50, supported by the state legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom, allows the legislature to override the map drawn by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. The new map, crafted by a consultant hired by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), redrew the state's 52 congressional districts. The lawsuit claims that 16 of these districts-approximately one-third-were designed to favor one racial group, despite the prior Commission map already enabling the election of 27 congressional representatives from racial minority groups in compliance with federal law. The filing argues there was no Voting Rights Act violation necessitating the change.

The legal action asserts that the new map violates the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and the 15th Amendment's prohibition on race-based voting rights abridgment. It requests a preliminary injunction to reinstate the Citizens Redistricting Commission's map for the 2026 elections, citing the need for district clarity by December 19 to ensure an orderly election process.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton, an appointee of President Barack Obama who previously served on the Superior Court of California, County of Orange, from 2002 to 2010. Her judicial background may influence the case's trajectory, though her specific stance remains to be seen.

Legal experts have offered mixed assessments of the lawsuit's potential success. Some suggest that proving race was the predominant factor in redistricting, without a compelling state interest, could align with Supreme Court precedents such as Shaw v. Reno (1993), which requires strict scrutiny. Others note that the voter approval of Proposition 50 might complicate the challenge, as courts often consider public mandate in such disputes.

The legal action asserts that the new map violates the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and the 15th Amendment's prohibition on race-based voting rights abridgment

The lawsuit has generated varied responses online, with some supporting the effort to address alleged gerrymandering and others viewing it as an attempt to undermine a voter-approved measure. The outcome could impact California's 2026 electoral landscape and set a precedent for future redistricting cases nationwide.

Meuser explained on X why he filed the suit: "Last summer, legislative Democrats scrapped the nonpartisan Citizens Redistricting Commission's map and replaced it with one drawn by a political consultant hired by the DCCC.

"In total, sixteen of California's fifty-two congressional districts-nearly one-third of the entire map-were deliberately drawn to favor one racial group. Yet there was no Voting Rights Act violation to remedy: under the prior Commission map, racial minorities were already electing 27 members of Congress, and analysts confirmed the old map fully complied with federal law. The Legislature had no evidence and no legal basis to sort millions of Californians by race.

"Our motion explains that the Proposition 50 map violates both the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and the Fifteenth Amendment's ban on race-based abridgment of voting rights. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that states may not use race as the predominant factor in drawing districts unless strict scrutiny is met, and California cannot meet it here.

"We're asking the court to preserve the status quo by blocking the new map and keeping in place the existing Citizens Redistricting Commission lines while the case proceeds. Candidates must know their districts by December 19, so timely relief is essential to prevent chaos in the 2026 election."