Supreme Court Allows California to Use New Congressional Map Ahead of Midterm Elections

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to move forward with a newly drawn congressional map that could put five Republican-held seats in play during this year’s elections.

The justices issued their decision without explanation and noted no dissents, rejecting an emergency appeal from California Republicans who argued that at least one district was redrawn based on race rather than politics.

State leaders adopted the new map in response to partisan redistricting in Texas that benefited Republicans. California voters later approved the plan through a referendum, with 64 percent supporting the changes.

Republican officials claimed the revised districts were designed to boost Latino voting strength and favor Democratic candidates. However, lower courts concluded the map was primarily driven by partisan goals rather than racial discrimination.

A three-judge federal panel ruled that the redistricting effort was political in nature and declined to block its use. Two judges agreed with that assessment, while a third dissented, citing public comments from a map consultant suggesting Latino districts were intentionally strengthened.

The Trump administration joined the lawsuit challenging the map but did not file its own emergency appeal with the Supreme Court.

The ruling comes as states across the country engage in mid-decade redistricting efforts aimed at gaining partisan advantage ahead of the midterms. While federal courts no longer review claims of partisan gerrymandering, they can still consider allegations involving racial discrimination.

California election officials told the court they must begin processing mail-in ballots in May, ahead of the state’s June 2 primary.

With the decision finalized, California will proceed with the new map as candidates prepare to file for upcoming races.

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