President Donald Trump said Monday that the Justice Department plans to sue California over legislation aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional maps — an initiative by Democrats to counter Republican-driven efforts in Texas to remake its map.
Asked by a reporter whether his administration might challenge California’s newly passed bills, Trump, using a derogatory nickname for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), said: “Well think I’m going to be filing a lawsuit pretty soon. And I think we’re going to be very successful in it.”
“We’re going to be filing it through the Department of Justice. That’s going to happen,” Trump said after signing executive orders in the Oval Office.
This month, Trump urged Republicans in Texas to aggressively redraw maps to their advantage ahead of the 2026 midterms, arguing that Republicans are “entitled” to five more seats in Congress. The Trump-backed map passed last week, creating five more U.S. House districts in Texas that favor Republicans.
California’s legislation, signed by Newsom last week, requires voters to approve changes to the state’s congressional map in a special election that the legislature set for November. California has more hurdles in its process than in Texas because the state constitution requires that an independent nonpartisan panel draw its congressional maps.
Trump’s pressure on lawmakers to create GOP-friendly congressional maps has launched a nationwide redistricting war, with some Democrat- and Republican-led states eyeing new maps for a partisan edge ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The mid-decade redistricting is also controversial with those who would be affected the most — voters and particularly minorities. States typically draw new district lines once a decade, after new census data is released, or if a map is struck down in court.
