Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, and fellow Republican Congressman Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, have filed a lawsuit challenging California's efforts to redraw its congressional maps.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Texas alleges Proposition 50, which goes before California voters in a special election on Tuesday, is unconstitutional and "an unprecedented interstate assault on representative democracy."
The complaint claims Issa specifically will be harmed both as a Congressman and as a California voter, while Jackson "will lose specific, concrete resources and authority necessary to serve his constituents because California's scheme will succeed in flipping House control."
Issa claims in a declaration that if Democrats gain House control, he will lose "seniority advantages in committee proceedings" and have "reduced influence over legislative priorities and committee work affecting my constituents," which he alleges will negatively affect veterans and immigrant communities within his district.
The complaint, which names California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber as defendants, requests that a Texas federal judge stop the implementation of the new maps should voters approve them next week and require California to use its current map for the 2026 congressional elections.
California's redistricting proposal was a direct response to similar efforts in Texas aimed at shifting five additional seats to Republicans. A ruling is expected sometime next month to a separate legal challenge from the Texas NAACP to block Texas' new congressional map.
