CA GOP sues Newsom over Prop. 50, claim Latinos illegally favored in gerrymandered districts

The California Republican Party filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging the state’s new congressional district maps, alleging Democrats illegally used race as the primary factor in redrawing boundaries to favor Latino voters.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeks to invalidate Proposition 50, which voters approved on Tuesday to implement legislature-drawn maps for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.

Neither Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office nor Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office responded to The Post’s requests for comment.

The lawsuit names both officials in their official capacities as defendants responsible for implementing the challenged maps.

Plaintiffs, including 19 residents, argue the redistricting violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and the 15th Amendment’s protections against racial discrimination in voting.

“The California Legislature violated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution when it drew new congressional district lines based on race, specifically to favor Hispanic voters, without cause or evidence to justify it,” the complaint states.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from Dhillon Law Group, a San Francisco-based firm founded by prominent Republican attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon.

The lawsuit targets 16 congressional districts across California, from the Central Valley to Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

California lawmakers approved the redistricting package in less than four days in August, suspending multiple procedural rules to expedite passage. The move replaced maps drawn by the state’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2021 following the 2020 census.

Democratic leadership issued press releases announcing the new map “retains and expands Voting Rights Act districts that empower Latino voters” and creates districts designed to help Latino voters “elect their candidates of choice.”

Paul Mitchell, the consultant who drew the challenged maps, acknowledged in public statements that race guided his work. According to the complaint, Mitchell said his “number one thing” was drawing a “Latino majority/minority district” in Los Angeles and creating a “Latino-influenced district” with 35% Latino voting age population.

Mitchell was paid by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to campaign finance disclosures cited in the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs request the court convene a three-judge panel, as required for constitutional challenges to statewide redistricting. They seek declaratory judgment that the maps violate the Constitution and injunctions blocking their implementation.

Newsom’s vanity project vote paved the way for Democrats to flip five crucial congressional seats in the 2026 midterms, coasting to victory with more than 64% — or 4.4 million voters — saying yes to redistricting, compared to 35% who voted against it. The Associated Press called the results promptly at 8 p.m. local time.

Flanked by his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the Golden State governor wasted no time bashing President Trump in his victory speech.

“We’re proud of the work that the people of the state of California did tonight to send a powerful message to a historic president,” he said. “Donald Trump is a historic president. He is the most historically unpopular president in modern history.”

The partisan measure, spearheaded by Newsom, was introduced by the Democrat-led Legislature in direct response to GOP-driven redistricting in Texas that also aims at gaining five additional congressional seats.