The California Supreme Court, in a 6-1 decision largely supported by Democratic appointees, dismissed Republican arguments regarding the legality of Governor Gavin Newsom’s efforts to redraw state legislative districts.
The court indicated that state legislative Democrats could sidestep the 30-day requirement for new legislative proposals by substituting content from existing bills with language aimed at gerrymandering.
It has been reported:
The state Supreme Court allowed the redrawing of California’s Congressional districts, enabling Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democrats to design gerrymanders intended to secure five additional seats, while simultaneously rejecting Republican legal objections.
Legislative Republicans filed a lawsuit on Monday, claiming that a rapid voting measure intended for both houses on Thursday did not provide sufficient time to meet the public capacity requirements outlined in the state constitution. Nonetheless, the court swiftly dismissed the case on Wednesday.
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California law prohibits legislative actions related to proposed measures until 30 days after their introduction. However, Democrats managed to evade this deadline through a long-standing tactic referred to as the “gut and amendment.”
Newsom and the state legislature plan to enact a new partisan map and present it to voters in a special election in November, incurring an expense exceeding $200 million. This new map disregards the nonpartisan maps established through the “independent” redistricting process initiated by voters in 2008. Newsom mentioned he is responding to Texas’s recent Republican-favored redistricting efforts.
However, as Republicans utilize gerrymandering in states already under Democratic control, there is a strong likelihood they will benefit from these changes themselves.
