In Blow to Trump Gerrymandering Scheme, US Supreme Court Lets California Adopt New Map

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a major blow to President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting scheme when it refused to take up an emergency request by the California Republican Party to override an appeals court ruling that greenlit a newly redrawn congressional map in their state.

The court's decision came two months after it cleared the way for Texas to adopt a new map drawn up by state Republicans, which analysts have projected could net the GOP as many as five additional seats in the US House of Representatives.

California's initiative to redraw its map came as a direct rebuke to the Texas GOP, which pushed through its mid-decade partisan gerrymander at Trump's insistence. As drawn, the new California map is expected to balance out the redrawn Texas map by netting Democrats in the House five additional seats of their own.

California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who led the charge to redraw his state's map, took a victory lap after the Supreme Court decision.

"Donald Trump said he was 'entitled' to five more congressional seats in Texas," Newsom wrote in a social media post. "He started this redistricting war. He lost, and he’ll lose again in November."

Attorney Norm Eisen, executive chairman of Democracy Defenders Fund, hailed the court's decision as a "huge, gigantic, enormous win" that will counter "Trump's attempt to steal congressional seats."

Trump’s unprecedented mid-decade redistricting crusade, which began in Texas and subsequently spread to Missouri and North Carolina, has been hit with major pushback from Democrat-controlled states.

In addition to California, Democrats in Virginia and Maryland are also working on redrawing their congressional maps to counter Trump's efforts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

However, Trump and his allies have signaled that aggressive gerrymandering won't be the only trick they'll play to hold onto power in the 2026 midterms.

Right-wing podcaster and political strategist Steve Bannon claimed on Tuesday that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will "surround" polling places in November, and Trump on Monday called on Republicans to "nationalize the voting" and take away states' power to conduct their own elections.