Supreme Court allows California map likely giving Democrats 5 House seats
California Democrats scored a big win Wednesday when the Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to new congressional maps from the state’s Republicans and the Trump administration.
The court declined to block California from implementing new congressional districts this year that are expected to add five Democratic seats in Congress. Democrats, who hold a supermajority in California’s legislature, drew the map after Texas approved a redistricting plan that could give Republicans five additional House seats. Both maps are now approved for the 2026 midterm elections.
In December, the Supreme Court overruled a lower court that had found the new Texas map was illegal and showed signs of racial gerrymandering.
In the Texas ruling, the Supreme Court noted that both Republicans and Democrats were redrawing maps to improve their chances for controlling Congress. The court had previously ruled that partisan gerrymandering is legal.
Redistricting fight
California is one of six states that have redrawn their maps in the middle of the decade, rather than after the decennial census. But the flurry of redistricting that Texas initiated last summer has resulted in maps that may not, on their own, significantly change the partisan mix in Congress.
New districts in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio could give Republicans nine additional seats in the House. Redrawn congressional maps in California, Maryland and Utah are expected to hand Democrats seven more seats.
However, Democrats could pick up another four seats in Virginia, depending on the outcome of a court challenge and, potentially, a referendum on a state constitutional amendment.
If another court case goes the Democrats’ way, they could also gain a seat in New York.
But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has said he plans to call a special legislative session on redistricting in April. With the GOP in charge of the state House and Senate, new maps there would likely create new Republican-leaning congressional districts.
Aside from the wrangling over redistricting, Democrats expect to win big in the 2026 midterm elections. The party that controls the White House historically loses seats in Congress in the midterms.
States looking to redraw their congressional maps don’t have much more time to do so. In Florida’s case, lawmakers have until June 12 before the deadline ends for candidates to officially enter races for Congress.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
