Senator Tony Strickland, Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares, Assemblyman Tri Ta and Assemblyman Carl DeMaio. (Photo: Katy Grimes for California Globe)
CA Supreme Court Denies Republicans’ Injunction Request to Halt Newsom’s Redistricting Scheme
Republicans lawmakers have called for a federal criminal investigation into Governor Gavin Newsom and CA Democrat legislators corrupt redistricting scheme
By Katy Grimes, August 21, 2025 7:34 am
The California Supreme Court denied Republicans’ injunction request to halt Governor Gavin Newsom’s and Democrats’ redistricting scheme late Wednesday. The legislature is expected Thursday to pass the 3-measure package on Congressional redistricting: Senate Bill 280, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8, and Assembly Bill 604.
Remember that this is the same California Supreme Court which removed the Taxpayer Protection Act from the 2024 ballot, legally tampering with direct democracy and our initiative process. The Taxpayer Protection Act was a citizens initiative that collected more than 1.4 million signature from Californians qualifying it for the ballot. The measure would have made it harder for state and local politicians to impose costly and unfair tax hikes.
The unprecedented move confirmed that the appointees to the California Supreme Court were chosen to provide cover for California’s corrupt Democrat politicians.
The Globe reported Republican lawmakers and the Dhillon Law Group announced on Tuesday an emergency petition filed with the California Supreme Court to stop Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders from rushing through an unconstitutional redistricting plan without the 30–day public review period required by the California Constitution.
Attorney Michael A. Columbo with the Dhillon Law Group was joined by the petition’s plaintiffs: Senator Tony Strickland, Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares, Assemblyman Tri Ta and Assemblyman Carl DeMaio.
The lawmakers vowed to keep fighting in court in this joint statement:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is not the end of this fight. Although the Court denied our petition, it did not explain the reason for its ruling. This means Governor Newsom and the Democrats’ plan to gut the voter-created Citizens Redistricting Commission, silence public input, and stick taxpayers with a $200+ million bill will proceed. Polls show most Democrats, Republicans, and independents want to keep the commission, not give politicians the power to rig maps. We will continue to challenge this unconstitutional power grab in the courts and at the ballot box. Californians deserve fair, transparent elections, not secret backroom deals to protect politicians.”
The Emergency Petition for Writ of Mandate filed with the California Supreme Court challenged the Legislature’s attempt to bypass the California Constitution’s 30–day public review requirement by “gutting and amending” unrelated bills (AB 604 and SB 280) into sweeping redistricting legislation without giving Californians the time guaranteed by law to review and deliberate.
The petition sought immediate relief to halt legislative action on this unconstitutional measure until the public’s right to review has been honored.
“To no one’s surprise, the liberal justices of the California Supreme Court are siding with the politicians that appointed them rather than the citizens,” Assemblyman Carl DeMaio said. “While we will continue to fight in court, it is clear the PEOPLE must protect their power at the ballot box by saving the Citizens’ Independent Redistricting process from this attack by politicians.”
Wednesday Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (75th District), Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, Senator Tony Strickland (36th District), and Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo (58th District) called for a federal criminal investigation into Governor Gavin Newsom and CA Democrat legislators corrupt redistricting scheme.
DeMaio also announced Monday he is filing a citizens’ initiative to impose what he openly describes as a “poison pill” ban on any state legislator from seeking any elected office for the next 10 years if they vote this week in favor of nullifying the independent citizens redistricting commission or its existing non-partisan election maps.
“The state constitution already bans Independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commissioners from seeking elected office for 10 years – so if the politicians want to illegally seize back redistricting power from the citizens, it is only fitting that the ban against benefitting personally from those maps be imposed on them,” DeMaio said.
But, the maps were also tweaked Friday through Monday, yet Democrats refuse to say who made the changes.
As Assemblyman DeMaio said in the morning press conference, the maps were drawn by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), “which is not even a registered lobbyist,” DeMaio noted. “How much money was paid to Paul Mitchell, who boasted that he had a team of 8 people” working with him. Mitchell is drawing the new districts for the governor, the Globe reported.
While Democrats keep repeating “this is the most transparent process,” they still won’t answer the most basic questions, Assembly Republicans said.
“Why won’t Democrats say who drew the maps? Maybe it’s because ‘three sources close to the situation told KCRA 3 the Democratic leader of the California Senate, Mike McGuire, had one of the new, targeted districts drawn specifically for him in exchange for his support of the redistricting plan.’”
“Dozens of different map versions were reviewed before the current version was introduced. Why did they change? Did someone not like the way lines were drawn in their area and ask for them to be changed? And more importantly, did they say they must be changed to secure their vote?”
UPDATED 10:00am:
Today Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares (R – Santa Clarita) will be introducing a critical amendment to Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (ACA 8), which seeks to implement redistricting for California’s Congressional District maps.
“If we are going to move forward with a law that takes redistricting power out of the hands of the voter-approved commission, then at the very least, we must put up meaningful safeguards against corruption,” said Valladares.
The proposed amendment would prohibit any member of the Legislature who votes in favor of ACA 8 from running for elected office for ten years—a restriction that already applies to the citizens who serve on the existing independent redistricting commission.
“This amendment simply extends to every legislator who votes in favor of the measure, the same ten-year candidacy moratorium that applies to the citizens who currently draw the lines,” Valladares stated. “The people of California deserve ironclad guarantees that those in charge of redistricting aren’t acting in their own self-interest.”
More than 60% of California voters supported the creation of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, frustrated by gerrymandered maps that prioritized political power over community representation.
“Let’s be clear: you cannot in good conscience demand that ordinary citizens forfeit the right to run for office for a decade, and then exempt the politicians now reclaiming that power. There is a word for that—hypocrisy,” Valladares said.
This amendment represents a values test for the Legislature: “This is a test of whether this body values integrity over expediency, fairness over partisanship, and accountability over ambition.”
“If ACA 8 is truly about fairness, then supporting this amendment should be a no-brainer. If everything is above board, what’s the objection?” Valladares asked. “The people are watching, and they know a power grab when they see one.”
A California native and Navy mom, Katy lives in Sacramento, CA.
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This is a hot front page issue today.
It needs to be a hot front page issue in mid October when voters (legal and illegal) decide how to vote.
Please keep their (democratic cabal’s) feet to fire.
This is the totally corrupt and compromised agency that is chartered and hell-bent to destroy us. Their oblivious and proclaimed intent is “TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION”.
obvious
“Oblivious” works too, ha ha
The California Supreme Court decision is not surprising. What is interesting is the possibility of a DOJ investigation on this election matter. This gerrymandering event could be the predicate for the DOJ to investigate this matter and the entire shady California election process. VBM, chain of custody, signature verification, registration, voter rolls and everything else. Who better to lead a case such as this as Ms. Dillion. Newsom may not have seen this possibility through his “tough guy” image. I pray that it happens.
In other, somewhat related, Democrat operative corruption news, go to link below.
Remember, these unnecessarily-introduced L.A. County Venezuela-style electronic voting machines, meant in large part to help prevent the election of Donald Trump in CovidYear 2020, cost a whopping $300,000,000.00 (Three Hundred Million Dollars):
“Prosecutors link L.A. County contract to Smartmatic “slush fund” as voting tech firm battles Fox in court. The voting technology company suing Fox News is now entangled in a widening bribery investigation”
https://www.wfmj.com/story/53020195/prosecutors-link-la-contract-to-smartmatic-slush-fund-as-voting-tech-firm-battles-fox-in-court
I wonder what an election related company had to do in order to find success working for the late Hugo Chavez (a devotee of electronic voting”). It seems like the modern democratic party is also a devotee of electronic voting. I wonder if there are any other core beliefs in common…….
Maybe this blatantly illegal seizure of power by Hair-gel Hitler Newsom and the criminal Democrat thug mafia in the legislature might embolden the State of Jefferson secessionists to break off from the failed state of California? They’ve been oppressed and subjugated by the Democrat controlled hellhole cities of LA, Sacramento and San Francisco for decades? They’d be free of the Marxist Democrat’s oppressive regulatory, debt and tax burdens as well as their intentional mismanagement. How would Hair-gel Hitler and the criminal Democrat thug mafia in the legislature stop them? Maybe they’ll send in their crazed tranny contingent along with the rest of the radical leftist alphabet rainbow mafia to try and quell the rebellion?
Also of note, the proposed Texas maps are still LESS politically biased than the current California map created by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. All of this screaming from the Democrats is nothing more than their usual projection of accusing their opponents of doing exactly what they already have done just so they can do it even more and worse. It’s beyond infuriating.
Why do I get the feeling that none of the geniuses in the state Democratic Party who thought up the Article IV wheeze actual read any of the standard refence books on the California Constitution. Or are familiar with the relevant case law and statue law. At the Federal level.
“The California State Constitution” by Grodin, Massey and Cunningham is a very clearly written guide to the legal nuts and bolt of the Constitution. And how it works. In law. It makes for interesting reading.
As I read it the Article IV powers which the AB attempts to use ram through the redrawn district boundaries under the guise of a Special Election are in refence to a given power the Assembly no longer has. In law. Proposition 12 in 2008 having replaced the general power conferred to the Legislature assumed in Article IV with a specific Constitutional power now residing with the CCRC.
A general rule with constitutions is that if there is any conflict between a general assumed power and a specific defined power the defined power always wins. Especially if the defined power was confirmed as constitutional in a legal challenge.
I dont know just how bright (i.e devious ) the state Republican Party are. Little evidence of it over the last 30 years. But if I were the state Republican Party I would be praying for the Democrats to succeed with the “Special Election” . As it could be used to later ambush all Democratic Party candidates elected under the new district boundaries. Challenging their election as invalid and illegal.
Not talking the half hearted challenge attempts of recent decades.But the scorched earth campaigns of 100 / 150 years ago. Both at the state and Federal level. Especially the Federal level. The case law is pretty impressive.
The idea is to prevent the elected Democrats from talking their seats until all legal challenges are defeated. Which could take years if properly prepared. With a sporting change they would not prevail in some or even all cases. With proper preparation of multiple legal hand grenades the Democratic Party would have to fight for every inch of election result legitimacy.
At a bare minimum it would prevent some / all state Democrats from taking their seats in Congress without a huge and very embarrassing fight. That’s 40 odd fewer Democrats in Congress. At least for some undefined duration. Weeks? Months? New election?
At the state level no quorum. No business. Until Motor Voter is shut down and Voter ID is introduced having the Assembly / Senate shut down for business sounds very appealing. No business , no mischief.
Now that’s how you could regain control of the state’s government. From the current Third World banana republic Democratic Party of grifters and con-men. Shock tactic on the order of the Second Vigilance Committee in San Francisco. Which was also about breaking the political stranglehold of a corrupt Democratic Party political machine on local government. William Heath Davis’s first hand account of what actually happened in 1856 in San Francisco sounds eerily familiar.
@Tfourier, I like your idea of ambushing the Democratic Party. Of course, it is dependent on a legal system upholding the rule of law, a legal system that has been severely compromised in recent years.
Where are the Howard Jarvis’ and Paul Ganns when we need them?????
President Donald Trump pledged Thursday to rescue California saying “Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls. He is viewed as the man who is destroying the once Great State of California. I will save California!!! President DJT,” Trump posted on his TruthSocial platform.
YES!
YES YES YESSS!
“Trump: ‘I Will Save California!'”
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/08/21/trump-i-will-save-california/
Immediately DJT must charge Newsom for violating a federal statute followed by an arignment date: Trump had an opportunity to charge Newsom with sedition but backed down.
Newsom maniacally embolden, strengthening moment by moment while sadly our side totally lacking a person of the drive and determination of Newsom.
NEWSOM: “Maniacally Emboldened” = “Desperation” + “Self-Medication?”
Respectfully I disagree. He’s determined, well though out and an excellent impromptu speaker/responder: By virtue of his ability to strategically embrace the moment and tactfully engage the opposition he exudes the persona of unfortunately our next president.
He’s not inept nor an idiot; rather a master of deceipt: So unfortunate he’s not on our side.
Everyone seems to be forgetting this is in response to the Trump Administration starting this same process in a number of GOP led states. It’s tit-for-tat. Wouldn’t have happened if the Trump Administration hadn’t started.
Whether you are merely trolling on behalf of Newsom or not, you are obviously misinformed. No surprise if you are listening to the CA Dem “leadership,” who are taking advantage of your ignorance. Please watch below, and if you can’t or won’t, maybe other misinformed people who are monitoring this site will:
“Gavin Newsom’s $250 million redistricting power grab”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPAs8eIleZk&list=PLjMHBev3NsoWJly3vc1R9hKUohwNT_z-R&index=5
Also, a summer repeat: Here is Adam Carolla on Gavin Newsom — in a nutshell.
“Adam Carolla calls out Gavin Newsom: He’s a sociopath”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YilHMoMXGr8
yes, he show boated, and this is the result
This just in – Newscum threatens violence over redistricting. He is going to punch these SOB’s in the mouth. I volunteer to be the first recipient. Is he man enough? I bet his wife hits harder.
No kidding, CW. I just laughed. Who does Newscum think he is, Robert De Niro who said that HE wants to punch President Trump in the face. Come to think of it, the FBI needs to pay De Niro a visit. I agree with you, CW. Newscum would have trouble punching his way out of a paper sack. What a LOW-IQ LOSER.