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California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California.
"Trump said he was 'entitled' to five more congressional seats in Texas," said California Gov. Gavin Newsom. "He started this redistricting war. He lost, and he’ll lose again in November."
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.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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.
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.