California lawmakers approved, and Governor Gavin Newsom quickly signed, a trio of bills that place a constitutional amendment on the 4 November statewide ballot to redraw the state’s congressional map. The proposal would temporarily sideline California’s independent redistricting commission and create new boundaries designed to flip as many as five Republican-held U.S. House seats to Democrats for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. Democratic leaders framed the move as a direct response to a Texas plan, backed by President Donald Trump, that is expected to give Republicans five additional seats. Former President Barack Obama publicly endorsed Newsom’s strategy, calling it a measured way to counter what he termed partisan gerrymandering elsewhere. The legislation has already triggered a flurry of legal action. California Republican lawmakers filed an emergency petition—their second in a week—asking the state Supreme Court to strike the measure from the ballot, arguing it violates constitutional rules on mid-decade mapmaking and the single-subject requirement for initiatives. In Washington, Trump told reporters the Justice Department “will be filing a lawsuit pretty soon” to block the plan. If voters approve the measure, Democrats would strengthen their hand in a state delegation they already control 43-9, potentially altering the balance of power in a U.S. House where the parties are separated by only a few seats. Should courts intervene or voters reject the amendment, California’s existing commission-drawn map would remain in force through 2030, leaving the high-stakes partisan clash over redistricting to play out elsewhere.