Supreme Court won’t disturb new California congressional map

California Democrats this year will get the chance to pick up as many as five blue congressional seats after the Supreme Court on Wednesday turned down a bid to halt the state’s gerrymandered redistricting effort.

Acting without any indication of dissent, the high court rejected an emergency request from the California Republican Party and the Trump administration for an injunction blocking the Proposition 50 congressional map state voters approved last year.

A panel of federal judges in January ruled 2-1 against a California GOP and Justice Department push to prevent the map from taking effect ahead of the midterm elections, which will kick off with primary races in June.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Democratic leaders last summer began an effort to gerrymander California’s congressional districts after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw their state’s map to net the GOP five red seats. In a December ruling, the Supreme Court declined to disturb Texas’ new map, and some justices also hinted that they were likely to allow California’s redistricting to take effect.