The US Justice Department have entered the fray in a legal challenge initiated by California Republicans, seeking to block the state's recently passed electoral boundaries.
This court case, submitted to a US district court, challenges the map supported by the state's Democratic governor, which was created in reaction against a Republican-led gerrymander in Texas.
"The state's electoral map represents a brazen power grab that violates civil rights and mocks the electoral system," declared the US attorney general.
The Democratic party have voiced assurance that the new maps will withstand legal scrutiny.
"These opponents were defeated in the election and they are likely to also lose in court," commented a representative for the governor.
Legal Basis
The lawsuit asserts that California's map wrongfully utilized race as a factor to significantly advantage Latino communities in violation of the federal constitution.
"It is unconstitutional to use race as a substitute to further partisan goals, but that is precisely what the state legislature did with the redistricting measure," stated a high-ranking representative from the Civil Rights Division.
Political Context
The legal battle represents the major counterpunch by the Democratic party in the continuing redistricting war that started with Texas and has extended to multiple states.
Unlike other states, where GOP-controlled legislatures have implemented partisan maps, California's plan needed public consent, which it received with approximately two-thirds of the vote.
National Implications
Democrats need to gain just a handful of Republican-held House seats to gain majority of the House of Representatives in next year's midterm election.
The party that holds the majority will shape the remaining period of the sitting president's term, deciding if a GOP-controlled legislature will continue to deliver its political program or encounter opposition, investigations and potential further challenges.
- Legal counsel for the plaintiffs is being handled by a prominent law firm
- The firm's founder currently holds the position of senior DOJ official
- However, this individual has been removed from the current litigation
