Newsom’s Redistricting Power Grab Faces Major Legal Challenge

In a blatant abuse of power and process, Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom is leading a lightning-fast attempt to overhaul California’s redistricting rules just in time to tilt the playing field ahead of 2026. But Republicans and everyday Californians are fighting back, filing an urgent petition with the state Supreme Court to stop what they rightly call an “unconstitutional scheme.”

On August 14, Newsom and his Democrat allies announced plans to gut the current redistricting process by taking the authority away from California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and handing it back to surprise the partisan state legislature. Just four days later, legislation was introduced with no meaningful public input and zero transparency.

This rushed power grab violates several foundational elements of the state constitution, according to the petition filed by the Dhillon Law Group, a legal powerhouse known for championing constitutional rights. The move defies:

• The 30-day public notice requirement for new legislation

• The rule restricting redistricting to once per decade

• The single-subject rule, by combining unrelated and conflicting ballot proposals

• The explicit mandate that partisan gerrymandering be avoided

Mike Columbo, speaking on behalf of the Dhillon Law Group, didn’t mince words. “The Constitution requires redistricting be done by the Commission with transparency and public participation… They broke all of those rules.”

The real motivation behind the scheme? It’s a political reaction to moves made by Texas Republicans, and a desperate effort by California Democrats to claw back control in case their lock on power begins to slip especially with growing backlash over rampant crime, homelessness, and unaffordable living.

And here’s the kicker: Newsom’s redistricting ploy would cost taxpayers more than $200 million to fund a special election. That’s money Californians don’t have to spare, especially as inflation continues to squeeze families and the state grapples with a mass exodus of residents and businesses.

Let’s be clear: this is exactly why Californians passed reforms in 2008 and 2010 to remove redistricting from the hands of politicians. Voters wanted an end to corrupt backroom deals and rigged districts. Newsom and the radical left in Sacramento are trying to undo that progress in four days flat.

State Senator Tony Strickland summed it up best. “We created the Citizens Commission to stop backroom deals… That’s not democracy that’s authoritarianism.”

Republican Assemblyman Tri Ta, who fled Vietnam for the promise of American liberty, called the move a “complete violation of the California Constitution.”

The petition calls on the California Supreme Court to act no later than September 8, before this dangerous proposal can reach the ballot. At stake is not just the redistricting process but the very principle of fair representation in one of America’s most populous states.

The left is losing its grip and now it’s changing the rules mid-game. Californians need to wake up before democracy becomes just another tool for those in power to cling to it.

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