The United States Department of Justice has formally intervened in a lawsuit challenging California’s newly approved congressional redistricting map, arguing the legislation violates constitutional protections by basing district lines on race.

The action comes after voters last week overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, the measure that suspends the independent commission and installs the new map for the next three election cycles.

Attorney General Pam Bondi described California’s move as a “brazen power grab” and accused Governor Gavin Newsom of seeking to entrench one-party rule.

The DOJ asserts the new map manipulates boundaries to enhance Hispanic voting power without the legal justification required under the Fifteenth Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

California Republicans and individual voters originally filed the suit, seeking to block the map’s use in the 2026 mid-term election.

They allege that sixteen congressional districts were drawn with race as a predominant factor—despite no clear evidence of a violation of the Voting Rights Act requiring such measures.

Democratic officials argue the redistricting corrects historic imbalances and counters recent Republican-led plans in states such as Texas, which gained seats via redistricting.

Supporters say the map aligns with Voting Rights Act objectives and upholds California voters’ will, as demonstrated by the nearly sixty-five percent approval of Proposition 50.

The challenge now places California’s congressional landscape, and by extension the broader battle for control of the House of Representatives in 2026, in federal court.

The outcome will test how far states may go in factoring race into district design and could influence redistricting strategies nationwide.