Supreme Court urged to invalidate California's race-based congressional map

Gavin Newsom celebrated the approval of Proposition 50, which instituted a legislature-drawn congressional map favoring Democrats. The piece asserts that the new California map should be invalidated because, like the Louisiana map rejected in Louisiana v. Callais, it was designed with explicit racial objectives. Testimony from state legislators includes references to “black districts” and “Latino-majority districts,” and remarks about the comparative value of Black voters in Texas.

Advocates argue that the 15th Amendment prohibits allocating political power on the basis of race, and that voter endorsement via referendum cannot excuse unconstitutional intent. A three-judge panel in Los Angeles is set to hear arguments from the state and the Democratic Party, who maintain the plan was driven by partisan, not racial, goals. The author warns that allowing such maps would undermine constitutional protections and set a dangerous precedent.