SCOTUS declines to hear challenge to California’s Prop. 50, clearing way for new Congressional map

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lawsuit seeking to overturn California’s voter-approved Proposition 50, leaving in place a new congressional map that Democrats say could net the party up to five additional seats in the 2026 elections.

The court’s decision not to take up the case ends a last-ditch effort by Republican plaintiffs to block the redistricting measure, which critics argue was designed to favor Democrats by reshaping multiple congressional districts across the state. By declining review, the high court effectively allows the new district lines to govern the 2026 cycle.

Among the most immediate political effects in the Sacramento region is on Kevin Kiley, a Republican who currently represents California’s 3rd Congressional District. Kiley’s district was one of those dismantled under the new map, a result of the Prop. 50 process championed by Democratic leaders.

With the adoption of Proposition 50, the current 6th District Democratic Congressman Ami Bera declared his candidacy for the newly configured 3rd District. The race for the 6th District has attracted high-profile Democratic candidates including Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and former California State Senator and Assemblymember Dr. Richard Pan.

Kiley said the ruling does not change his plans to seek reelection, though it does limit his options. In a statement recently posted on X (see below), he said the deadline to file for reelection is about a month away and framed the redistricting fight as part of a broader political struggle in the state.

“I believe our fight for sanity in California is more important than ever, and that Newsom’s attempt to end our movement with his Prop. 50 sham will not succeed,” Kiley wrote.

According to Kiley, after Democrats failed to defeat him in 2024 — a race he said he won by roughly 46,000 votes — the state redrew his district and split it into six separate pieces. Those areas are now part of newly renumbered districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, leaving him eligible to run in only one.

Kiley said he has already ruled out running in Districts 1, 4 and 7.

“Since I will not be a candidate for District 7, that means that as of January of 2027, I will very sadly no longer represent the wonderful El Dorado County communities that will become part of that district,” he wrote, calling the choice “very difficult.”

The redistricting plan has been strongly backed by Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who argue the new lines better reflect population shifts and voting patterns in the nation’s most populous state.

With the Supreme Court stepping aside, California’s new congressional map is now settled law, setting the stage for a high-stakes and heavily contested 2026 election cycle under dramatically altered political boundaries.

The deadline to file for reelection is one month away. I believe our fight for sanity in California is more important than ever, and that Newsom’s attempt to end our movement with his Prop. 50 sham will not succeed. Today, I have some news to share about my path to reelection.…

— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) February 2, 2026