The US Justice Department has entered the fray in a lawsuit initiated by California Republicans, seeking to halt the California's recently passed congressional redistricting map.
This court case, filed in federal court, challenges the redistricting plan championed by the state's Democratic governor, which was developed in reaction against a GOP redistricting effort in Texas.
"The state's electoral map represents a brazen power grab that violates voting rights and mocks the democratic process," stated the US attorney general.
The Democratic party have expressed confidence that the new maps will survive legal scrutiny.
"The plaintiffs were defeated in the election and soon they will face defeat in the judicial system," commented a representative for the governor.
Constitutional Challenge
The lawsuit asserts that California's map improperly used race as a factor to significantly advantage Latino communities in violation of the federal constitution.
"Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is exactly what the state legislature did with the redistricting measure," argued a senior official from the DOJ's civil rights unit.
Political Context
The legal battle constitutes the major counterpunch by Democrats in the ongoing redistricting war that started with Texas and has extended to various parts of the country.
In contrast to elsewhere, where GOP-controlled legislatures have enacted gerrymanders, California's plan needed public consent, which it received with approximately two-thirds of the vote.
National Implications
The Democratic party need to gain just a handful of Republican-held House seats to take control of the chamber in next year's congressional elections.
The political group controlling the controlling share will influence the final years of the sitting president's term, deciding if a GOP-controlled legislature will persist in implementing its political program or face resistance, congressional probes and possible further challenges.
- Legal representation for the challengers is being provided by a well-known legal group
- The managing partner currently holds the position of assistant attorney general
- Nevertheless, this individual has been recused from the current litigation
