The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Jan. 26, 2026
As expected, the California GOP filed an emergency U.S. Supreme Court appeal of the Proposition 50 congressional districts, claiming racial gerrymandering. Also unsurprisingly, the Trump Department of Justice filed a brief supporting the appeal, saying that while the map was done for partisan reasons, it was accomplished using racial gerrymandering.
The GOP plaintiffs’ January 20th filing claims the map is a violation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. QUOTE, “Of course, California’s motivation in adopting the Prop 50 map as a whole was undoubtedly to counteract Texas’s political gerrymander. But that overarching political goal is not a license for district-level racial gerrymandering,” UNQUOTE. They’ve asked for an injunction by the February 9th opening of candidate filing.
January 22nd, the Trump DOJ filed a brief in support, stating: “Under the guise of partisan line-drawing, California expressly used race as the ‘predominant factor’ in placing ‘a significant number of voters within or without’ Congressional District 13.” It, too, cited the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. DOJ also argued that an injunction before February 9th would avoid having to invoke the Purcell principle as too close to the election.
Justice Elena Kagan, who oversees emergency appeals for the 9th Circuit, gave the State of California until January 29th to reply.
We linked to the filings at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
American Democracy Minute – U.S. Supreme Court Majority Embraces Texas Redistricting, Ignores District Court Panel Racial Gerrymandering Findings
American Democracy Minute – Federal Panel Allows California’s Gerrymandered Counterpunch to Five More GOP Congressional Seats in Texas. Will a Politicized SCOTUS Block It?
U.S. Supreme Court – DAVID TANGIPA, et al., Applicants, v. GAVIN NEWSOM, et al.,
U.S. Supreme Court – BRIEF FOR THE UNITED STATES AS RESPONDENT IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION
SCOTUS Blog – Trump administration urges Supreme Court to find California’s redistricting map unconstitutional
Legal Defense Fund – Redistricting Watch 5.0: Tracking the Latest Updates on Congressional Map Movements
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State
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