Prop 50 Hearing Set for Mid December Despite AG Bonta’s Efforts to ‘Run Out The Clock on Justice’

California Governor Gavin Newsom unconstitutionally overturned the voter-approved California Redistricting Commission with Proposition 50, which was just passed by voters earlier this month. That is bad enough, but the new congressional district maps were drawn based on racial lines, a recent lawsuit, filed by The Dhillon Law Group, Assemblyman David Tangipa, 18 California voters, and the California Republican Party, alleges.

Expediting the federal hearing has met expected resistance from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is defending Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Governor Gavin Newsom in the complaint. The hearing in front of a federal three-judge panel has now been set for December 15, despite Bonta’s efforts to delay the hearing until January 20, 2026.

As reported by KCRA:

Court documents show the attorney general’s office last week asked the court to push the hearing date to January 20 and for the hearing to last five days. The state’s attorneys said Republicans alone appeared to have six hours of planned witness testimony and another two hours of oral arguments.

Bonta’s office said the Dec. 3 hearing would “not provide enough time to build a sufficient record to enable the Court to render the necessary findings of fact and conclusions of law on Plaintiffs’ and Plaintiff-Intervenor’s claims.”

It’s not clear yet if the hearing on Dec. 15 in Los Angeles will last one day or stretch further into the week. Court filings from Friday show judges have asked each side to provide a list of witnesses by Wednesday, Nov. 26, and then file a joint list of witnesses and exhibits with the court by Monday, Dec. 1.

After the lawsuit challenging Prop 50 was filed, Attorney Mark Meuser, Constitutional and Election Law Attorney with Dhillon Law Group, told the Globe that the state of California and the DCCC are trying to change the rules already agreed upon in order to delay a hearing on this case until January 20, well after the December date those running for Congress will know or determine what district they are running in.

“Eight days after Plaintiffs filed their complaint in which they allege that Prop 50’s map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, the state of California, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), along with plaintiffs entered into a stipulation for a briefing schedule,” Meuser told the Globe. “Plaintiffs have asked the Court for an order by Dec. 5 so that those running for Congress know what district they are running in. December 19 is the first day candidates for Congress can gather signatures in lieu of a filing fee. In light of the joint stipulation, the Court has told the state of California and the DCCC to file their opposition to our motion for a preliminary injunction by tomorrow (Nov. 21) and the hearing on our motion for preliminary injunction (i.e. which set of maps will control the 2026 election – the 2021 commission map or Prop. 50’s map) has been scheduled for Dec. 3.”

“Now, two days before their opposition to the motion is due, the state of California and the DCCC are trying to change the rules that they already agreed to. They want to delay a hearing on this case until January 20,” Meuser said.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. It is clear with this filing last night that the state of California and the DCCC are trying to run out the clock on justice. By running out the clock, the state of California and the DCCC hope that the Court will just rule that it is too late and that the Prop 50 maps (even if they are an unconstitutional gerrymander) must control for the 2026 election cycle. Plaintiffs’ attorneys at the Dhillon Law Group are zealously pursuing this case in an expedited matter to ensure that the Courts have plenty of time to issue a decision on the important underlying issue of whether Prop 50’s map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander thus requiring that the 2021 Commission maps remain in effect for the 2026 election cycle.”

Attorney Mike Columbo of the Dhillon Law Group told KCRA he expects the lawsuit to end up in the Supreme Court.

We will continue to provide updates to this developing story.