California warns Supreme Court not to step into ‘political fray’ by blocking new congressional map

California officials urged the Supreme Court this week not to block the state’s new congressional map, warning that granting the California GOP’s request to do so would be entering the “political fray” of redistricting battles.

The California Republican Party filed an appeal to the Supreme Court’s emergency docket earlier this month, asking the high court to halt the use of the Golden State’s new congressional map, which would net Democrats as many as five seats in the House of Representatives. The California GOP and Justice Department both allege the map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, but state officials argue it was drawn as a partisan gerrymander and race was not a predominant motivation for how the district lines were drawn.

The brief filed to the Supreme Court