WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� on Wednesday allowed California to use a new that is favorable to Democrats in this year鈥檚 elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration.
No justices dissented from the brief order denying the appeal without explanation, which is common on the court’s emergency docket.
The justices had previously to be used in 2026, despite a lower-court ruling that it likely discriminates on the basis of race.
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in December that it appeared both states had adopted new maps for political advantage, which the high court has previously ruled cannot be a basis for a federal lawsuit.
Republicans, joined by the Trump administration, claimed the California map improperly relied on race as well. But a lower court disagreed by a 2-1 vote. The Justice Department and White House did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The justices’ unsigned order keeps in place districts that are designed to flip up to five seats now held by Republicans, part of a tit-for-tat nationwide redistricting battle spurred by President Donald Trump, with control of Congress on the line in midterm elections.
Last year, at Trump’s behest, Texas Republicans with an eye on gaining five seats.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is , pledged to respond in kind, though he had to win over voters, not just lawmakers, to do so.
Newsom celebrated the court’s decision, saying on social media that Trump had 鈥渟tarted this redistricting war鈥� and would end up losing out in the November midterms, when control of Congress is at stake.
California’s attorney general, Democrat Rob Bonta, said the decision was 鈥済ood news not only for Californians, but for our democracy.鈥�
The , which brought the case, vowed to keep fighting against the map’s use in future elections.
“We will continue to vigorously argue for Equal Protection under the law for all of California鈥檚 voters,鈥� Michael Columbo, counsel for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
One longtime party strategist, Jon Fleishman, a former executive director of the California Republican Party, said in a post on X that the decision means 鈥渢his year鈥檚 elections will take place on the new lines shrinking the already very small Republican delegation from California.”
Filing for congressional primaries in California begins on Monday.
___
Associated Press writers Michael Blood in Los Angeles and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP鈥檚 coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at .
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
