DOJ Accuses Democratic Campaign Arm of Obstruction in Lawsuit Over California Redistricting
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has joined a lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) alleging unconstitutional racial gerrymandering in California's Proposition 50 map. A three-day federal court hearing on Proposition 50 commenced, during which the DOJ accused the DCCC and consultant Paul Mitchell of obstructing discovery and withholding key documents.
The DOJ alleges that Mitchell dumped several gigabytes of files less than 48 hours before the hearing and prioritized racial considerations in the map, including a slide deck that promoted increased voting opportunities for Latino residents. Furthermore, the DOJ contends that the DCCC misled the court regarding control over Mitchell’s records despite having contractual rights to his materials, and that Mitchell delayed producing tens of thousands of files.
Proposition 50, passed in November, aims to temporarily redraw California congressional districts to favor Democrats for the 2026 midterms. This redistricting effort was designed in response to Texas's mid-decade redistricting, which the Supreme Court recently upheld in an emergency order amid race-based challenges.
The DOJ seeks a finding by the three-judge panel that race was a major factor in drawing the California map, bolstering the claim of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. The article also notes broader nationwide disputes over redistricting, mentioning related actions or cases in Louisiana, Utah, Illinois, Maryland, and Virginia.
