JUST IN: President Trump’s DOJ Sues Gavin Newsom

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has launched a major legal strike against California Governor Gavin Newsom, filing a federal lawsuit to block the state’s newly approved congressional map created under Proposition 50.

The DOJ formally moved to intervene in an existing lawsuit against the State of California, arguing that the Legislature’s new House map violates constitutional protections and unlawfully tilts the playing field in favor of Democrats ahead of the 2026 elections. The lawsuit targets Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment that voters approved in November.

The measure temporarily strips California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission of its authority and hands the power to draw congressional maps back to the Democrat dominated Legislature for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 cycles. Critics warned for months that the proposal was a Trojan horse designed to engineer a partisan advantage at a moment when Democrats are desperate to regain power in Washington.

Those warnings now appear central to the federal challenge. Attorneys for the DOJ say California’s Legislature engaged in unconstitutional racial gerrymandering and crafted a map that could give Democrats as many as five additional House seats. That shift would carry national implications and could play a decisive role in whether Republicans maintain control of the House in 2026.

Conservative attorney Mark Meuser, who filed the original lawsuit on behalf of multiple California plaintiffs, announced today that the Department of Justice is formally joining the case. Meuser said the DOJ is supporting a motion for an injunction that asks the federal courts to stop California from using the Proposition 50 map in upcoming elections.

Meuser wrote that the DOJ’s involvement reflects the seriousness of the constitutional concerns now facing the state. He said the goal is to protect millions of Californians whose voting rights he believes were violated by lawmakers seeking a partisan outcome rather than a lawful districting plan.

🚨Breaking News🚨

The U.S. Department of Justice just filed a motion to Intervene in our lawsuit against the State of California over the Proposition 50’s map. We have filed a motion for an injunction requesting that the Federal Courts stop California from using the Prop 50’s… pic.twitter.com/uicvfYQuwZ

— Mark Meuser (@MarkMeuser) November 13, 2025

The filing includes a request for a three judge federal panel to review the map and determine if the Legislature improperly used race or partisan data in drawing the new districts. If granted, the injunction would freeze the new map and require California to revert to its previous congressional districts while the case moves forward.

The lawsuit adds to the immediate controversy Prop 50 unleashed after its passage. Opponents of the bill have said California was abandoning the very independent system its voters overwhelmingly demanded in the past, warning that the Legislature would draw exactly the kind of hyper partisan lines the commission was created to prevent.

The DOJ’s move signals that the Biden era hands off approach to California elections is over and that federal officials are willing to confront states that manipulate electoral boundaries for partisan gain.

A hearing on the motion to intervene is scheduled for November 21. If the court grants the injunction, California’s Democratic leadership could see its entire 2026 strategy collapse before the first ballot is even printed.