The Supreme Court is allowing California to proceed with redistricting that could put five more Democrats in the House of Representatives.
In a one-sentence order Wednesday, the court denied a request for an injunction by California Republican lawmakers and voters. California voters approved the gerrymandering plan last year.
The lawsuit claimed the plan is unconstitutional because it draws new districts on the basis of race, favoring Hispanic voters.
The court’s decision not to act changes the outlook for the mid-term elections. House Republicans have a five-vote majority and the potential introduction of five new Democrats will make it even more challenging for the GOP to retain control.
Republicans outnumber Democrats in the chamber, 218-213, but that margin will shrink when Texas Democrat Christian Menefee, who just won a special election, is sworn in.
The districts of the late Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa and current officeholder Rep. David Valadao, also a Republican, will change dramatically, dividing farming areas.
“Proposition 50 not only divides farmland but also weakens the voting power of the people who work on farms, ranches and fields to grow our nation’s food,” California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass said in a statement in Oxctober. “Communities deserve congressional members who will understand and prioritize our needs, and who will fight on our behalf.”
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