What happens to California’s redistricting after Texas’ congressional maps were struck down in court?
Gov. Gavin Newsom said California’s redistricting was a response to Texas’ rare mid-decade redistricting push. That doesn’t mean California is backtracking after a federal court in Texas. blocked the newly redesigned state until the congressional map takes effect for the 2026 midterm elections.
Tuesday’s court ruling came weeks after California voters formally approved a ballot measure introduced to thwart Texas redistricting — but lawmakers removed triggering language from the ballot measure. Without the triggering text, changes to California’s districts are unlikely.
“Donald Trump and Greg Abbott played with fire, got burned, and democracy won,” Newsom wrote Tuesday following the court’s ruling. “This decision is a victory for Texas and for all Americans fighting for free and fair elections.”
Paul Mitchell, whose company was hired to draw California’s congressional districts, said on social media that the maps would remain in place.
“The trigger language was removed during the legislative process because it was clear that Texas was redistricting, so even if their map is invalidated/postponed, the Prop 50 maps remain in place,” Mitchell wrote.
Earlier this year, Texas lawmakers redrew the congressional map as part of a rare mid-decade redistricting effort, launched after President Trump pushed for new congressional district boundaries that could help land five Republican-friendly seats.
The move sparked a redistricting battle across the United States, with Newsom – a potential 2028 presidential candidate – lead an effort Neutralize potential Republican gains in Texas by redrawing California congressional lines to gain up to five seats for Democrats.
In August, California lawmakers approved several bills redrawing the state’s congressional map to potentially make five Republican-held congressional districts more favorable to Democrats. Because these measures required changes to the state constitution, they had to be put to voters in a special election.
Earlier this month, California voters Proposition 50 was overwhelmingly approvedpaving the way for new congressional maps for the 2026 midterm elections.
California lawmakers removed trigger clause
When California state lawmakers initially introduced their redistricting legislation, it included a trigger clause under which California would only redraw its congressional map in response to a similar decision by a Republican state.
Under this trigger language, California’s redistricting map “would only become operational if Texas, Florida, or another state adopts a new congressional district map that takes effect after August 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2031, and such redistricting is not required by federal court order.”
However, the trigger clause was removed just before California lawmakers voted on the redistricting bills. Without this triggering language, as things stand, Texas’ decision has no impact on California’s redrawn map.
At a press conference in August, Newsom was asked whether California would move forward with Proposition 50 even if a court overturned Texas’ maps.
“We’re moving forward,” Newsom responded. “Texas has moved forward. Texas has acted. Texas is moving forward. You suggest, people suggest. Texas is not going to move forward because of what we just did? Come on.”
The Trump administration sued California on his new congressional lines. A hearing is scheduled for December 3.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration denounced the decision voiding Texas’ maps. Texas appealed the decision voiding its maps to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon.
“We strongly disagree with today’s district court decision regarding Texas’ redistricting map – the Texas map was drawn the right way for the right reasons,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X. “We look forward to Texas’ victory at the Supreme Court.”
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on a dispute over Louisiana Congressional Map and whether race can be used as a factor when drawing districts. In October, the justices appeared poised to weaken a key provision, Section 2, of the Voting Rights Act that allowed race to be taken into account when drawing districts and was used to ensure minority voters could elect their preferred candidates.
That could lead to more redistricting efforts, as states eliminate race as a factor in their congressional voting line.
“It’s terribly concerning where we are,” Texas Democratic state Rep. Ramon Romero told CBS News. “A point where communities that have been so grossly underrepresented for virtually the entire history of our country and now that there is growth in opportunity, there is growth in education, there is growth in representation, these wealthy billionaires who are manipulating our country for their own gain have won at the expense of so many families and people of color.”
Romero was among the Texas lawmakers who quorum was reached in August by leaving the state to try to block GOP-backed congressional maps. Although he says today’s decision is a victory for Democrats, much remains to be determined after the Supreme Court’s opinion.
When the Supreme Court will issue a decision is unknown, but time is running out for Texas. Congressional candidates have until Dec. 8 to file for next year’s midterm elections and appear in the primary vote scheduled for March.
