California GOP Sues Over Democrat-Drawn Congressional Map
The Dhillon Law Group has filed a major lawsuit on behalf of the California Republican Party, state Rep. David Tangipa, and 18 California voters, arguing that Proposition 50 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit, led by attorneys from the prominent conservative firm, comes amid growing concerns that Democrats are manipulating redistricting nationwide to entrench their political power.
Dhillon Law Group Takes Aim at Racially Driven Redistricting
The legal challenge was filed shortly after voters approved Proposition 50 with 64% support on Tuesday. The measure, crafted and championed by California Democrats, was designed to redraw congressional districts under the claim of improving representation for Latino voters. But Republicans argue that the move is a blatant racial gerrymander that violates the 14th and 15th Amendments.
“This violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law, and the right under the 15th Amendment to not have one’s vote abridged on account of race,” said Dhillon Law Group partner Mike Columbo at a press conference. “When drawing the Proposition 50 map, the chief consultant who drew the map has stated that the first thing that he did was to increase the power of Latino voters.”
“Additionally, the state legislature has announced that the maps increase the power of Latino voters,” Columbo added.
Expanding Democratic Power Through the Ballot Box
The measure’s approval followed the Democratic-led legislature’s redistricting initiative that added five new congressional seats likely to favor Democrats — mirroring similar partisan efforts in states like New York, Illinois, and Maryland, where Democratic majorities have aggressively redrawn lines to lock in electoral advantages.
California Democrats justified the move by pointing to redistricting in Texas, where Republicans are expected to gain five seats under their new map. But GOP leaders argue that Proposition 50 goes far beyond a political counterpunch — instead crossing into unconstitutional racial engineering.
President Donald Trump weighed in on Tuesday, calling Prop 50 a “giant scam.” He added, “All ‘Mail-In’ Ballots, where the Republicans in that State are ‘Shut Out,’ is under very serious legal and criminal review.” While it’s unclear whether Trump’s remarks referred directly to the lawsuit filed the next day, they reflect widespread frustration among conservatives about what they view as systemic manipulation of elections by Democrats.
Legal Challenge: Prop 50 Fails the Supreme Court’s “Gingles Test”
According to the complaint, Proposition 50 expands the number of districts where Hispanic voters are likely to play a decisive role — from 14 to 16 out of California’s 52 congressional districts. The lawsuit points to the 1986 Supreme Court decision in Thornburg v. Gingles, which established a three-part test allowing states to draw minority opportunity districts under limited conditions.
Dhillon Law Group attorney Mark Meuser, who ran as the GOP Senate candidate in 2022, said California’s new map fails that test.
“We believe that the Supreme Court Gingles Test cannot be satisfied by the state, as such under the 14th and 15th Amendments, the maps drawn by Prop 50 will be considered unconstitutional,” Meuser said.
The lawsuit argues that Hispanics, now the largest ethnic group in California, cannot be considered a racial minority in the sense contemplated by the Gingles ruling — making Proposition 50’s race-based districting unjustifiable under federal law.
Rep. Tangipa: “Voices Are Being Diminished to Benefit Others”
Republican state Rep. David Tangipa, one of the plaintiffs, blasted the measure as a cynical ploy by Democrats to reshape the electorate in their favor.
“As the first Polynesian elected ever to the state legislature, I understand the diversity and the beauty that this state has,” Tangipa said. “And what we have seen with Prop 50, these maps, they are completely diminishing the voices of [some] groups to benefit other groups.”
A National Pattern of Democratic Redistricting Power Plays
The fight over California’s Proposition 50 is part of a broader national battle over redistricting, where Democrats have used state legislatures and ballot initiatives to secure long-term electoral advantages. In New York, Democrats are redrawing congressional lines to overturn a previous court-ordered map that favored Republicans. In Illinois, gerrymandering has been used to eliminate multiple GOP-leaning districts. And in Maryland, courts have repeatedly intervened to stop maps that heavily favored Democrats.
Republicans argue that Proposition 50 is the latest example of Democrats weaponizing race and redistricting to tilt elections.
