Attorney General Pam Bondi isn’t backing down after a federal court gave California the green light to use its controversial new congressional map in the 2026 elections. Calling the decision “unconstitutional,” Bondi vowed Thursday to keep fighting what she described as a blatant, race-based power grab by Democrats.
A three-judge panel ruled 2–1 to uphold the state’s map, rejecting challenges from both California Republicans and the U.S. Department of Justice. The majority claimed the lines were drawn for purely partisan advantage, which federal courts have ruled they cannot block — even if it smells like gerrymandering.
Bondi, who has emerged as one of the Trump administration’s top legal enforcers, made clear she sees the ruling as a dangerous precedent. “California impermissibly drew its new congressional map based on race,” she wrote on X. “We are reviewing all legal options. This fight is not over.”
At the center of the storm is Proposition 50, a Democrat-backed ballot initiative Governor Gavin Newsom campaigned heavily for last fall. Sold to voters as a “fairness” measure, the initiative gives the California legislature the ability to redraw districts outside the usual ten-year cycle. Now, with the new lines in place, Democrats stand to gain as many as five seats — more than enough to tip the House majority back in their favor.
Newsom, widely believed to be preparing a 2028 White House run, dismissed Bondi’s warnings and accused Republicans of trying to “silence voters.” But the dissenting voice on the panel, Trump appointee Judge Kenneth Lee, didn’t buy it. In his opinion, Lee said at least one district was obviously drawn to “curry favor with Latino groups and voters,” directly contradicting the majority’s claim that the map wasn’t racially motivated.
California Republicans have already signaled they’ll ask the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that the Constitution doesn’t allow race to be used as a backdoor for partisan gerrymandering. GOP Chair Corrin Rankin blasted the court’s majority for ignoring clear evidence of racial targeting, warning the ruling paves the way for similar schemes in blue states across the country.
The legal battle comes as redistricting wars explode in other states. GOP-led legislatures in North Carolina, Missouri, and Ohio have passed their own revised maps, while a court in Utah forced Republicans to adopt a district that favors Democrats. But the DOJ has only taken legal action against California — a fact not lost on Bondi’s team.
With just a few seats separating Republican control from a Democrat takeover in the House, the outcome in California could reshape Congress — and the 2028 presidential race. Bondi’s challenge may be the only thing standing between the Trump agenda and a flood of Democrat-led investigations.
The Supreme Court declined in 2019 to intervene in cases of partisan gerrymandering, but if Bondi can prove California’s map is really about race — not just politics — it could force the justices to step back in.
For now, the battle lines are clear: Bondi versus Newsom, red versus blue, and a looming showdown at the Supreme Court.
The post Bondi Blasts California Court Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Race-Based Redistricting appeared first on Real News Now.
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