The U.S. Justice Department Thursday officially backed the California Republican Party’s lawsuit over Proposition 50, the ballot measure that was approved by voters last week to redraw congressional district lines across the state.
The DOJ filed the U.S. complaint in intervention in California federal court Thursday, joining the existing lawsuit filed by the state Republicans the day after Prop 50 passed.
While the complaint does not appear to have new evidence, the federal government’s intervention is setting the stage for a bigger political fight ahead of the 2026 midterm election.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called Prop 50 a “brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process” while discussing the DOJ’s legal action against Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
The initial lawsuit claimed the ballot measure violates the 14th Amendment, equal protections under the law and 15th amendment, which prohibits states from denying the right to vote based on race while improperly using voters’ race as a factor in drawing new district boundaries.
In response to the new development, Governor Newsom’s office expressed confidence that the federal complaint won’t be held in court.
“These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will lose in court,” Brandon Richards with the governor’s office said in a statement.
These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court. https://t.co/SVsEFmFrbc
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 13, 2025
In response to the complaint, California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said Californians are “sick and tired of lawlessness and of his lies.”
“Even before voters passed Proposition 50 by a large margin, there were several legal challenges filed against the initiative. To date, none of those challenges have prevailed,” Bonta’s office said in a statement.
As the lawsuit names Newsom and Weber, the state attorney general’s office will be representing them in court, according to Bonta’s office.
Prop 50, known as the “Election Rigging Response Act,” was overwhelmingly approved by voters last week as Californians gave the state government the green light to temporarily override the independent redistricting commission and replace the congressional map with new lines.
Despite criticism that Prop 50 is against the state constitution, there appeared to be a resounding yes to the proposal as NBC News was able to issue its projection within minutes after vote centers closed across the state.
Prop 50 aims to help Democrats gain five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections as a response to Republican districting efforts in Texas and other stations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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