California Republicans have filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom following the passage of Proposition 50 citing “racial prejudice” of the state’s move to gerrymander congressional districts.
The Golden State passed the governor’s temporary redistricting measure Tuesday, which was meant to counter gerrymandering efforts that have taken place in conservative states like Texas, North Carolina and Missouri.
The lawsuit claimed that the proposition engaged in “racial gerrymandering” with the redrawn maps, which would violate the 14th and 15th amendments. Newsom’s team said they had not yet reviewed the lawsuit.
“We haven’t reviewed the lawsuit, but if it’s from the California Republican Party and Harmeet Dhillon’s law firm, it’s going to fail,” the governor’s press office wrote in a statement on X. “Good luck, losers.”
We haven’t reviewed the lawsuit, but if it’s from the California Republican Party and Harmeet Dhillon’s law firm, it’s going to fail.
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 5, 2025
Good luck, losers. https://t.co/YuBjVIPG0E
The plaintiffs include a mix of individual California residents and political activists, including David Tangipa, Eric Ching, Saul Ayon, Peter Hernandez, Roxanne Hoge, among others. The California Republican Party was also among the plaintiffs filing against Newsom and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
The Republicans’ suit claims that the redistricting measure violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment, which guarantees that government’s should uphold “racial neutrality” in decision making. It further claimed that the proposition violates the 15th amendment, which protects citizens of the right to vote despite their race. The suit alleged that Prop. 50 is a “form of circumvention of the Fifteenth Amendment.”
“It drew new congressional district lines based on race, specifically to favor Hispanic voters, without cause or evidence to justify it,” the suit continued.
Tuesday night Newsom celebrated the Prop. 50 victory sharing how “proud” he was of “the work that the people of the state of California did tonight to send a powerful message” to Trump.
“No crowns. No thrones. No kings,” he said. “That’s what this victory represents.”
The California governor said that the Prop. 50 effort was in direct response to a redrawing of Texas’ Congressional district lines, which gave them five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Prop. 50’s widely expected victory was part of a special election in California. Other Democratic victories on Election Night included the New York City mayoral race as well as the New Jersey and Virginia governor races.
