Elias: Prop. 50 likely to stay intact no matter the fate of Texas gerrymander

"First, California Gov. Gavin Newsom was riding high after passage of Proposition 50 and its changes in California congressional district lines made him the most successful national Democrat in countering a key initiative by President Trump. Barely a week later, Newsom's former chief of staff was indicted on charges of political corruption and tax fraud and many began to write him off as a presidential candidate because of it."

"Not even a week after that, Newsom was back in the catbird seat after a federal appeals court in Texas threw out that state's gerrymandered congressional district plan which earlier provided the motive for the Newsom-sponsored Prop. 50. The U.S. Supreme Court days later temporarily reinstated the gerrymandered Texas lines. It now appears the Texas decision nixing the changes there may be reversed by the high court, even though it was written by a Trump-appointed judge."

"Meanwhile the California proposition figures to survive its own court challenges, filed by the state Republican Party and the U.S. Justice Department. That's because Texas officials from Gov. Greg Abbott down were open about their effort to concentrate Houston-area blacks into one district while giving five others to white Republicans. By contrast, there was little or no mention of race by either side in the Prop. 50 campaign, which was very explicitly motivated by pure politics."

California Governor Gavin Newsom gained political leverage after passage of Proposition 50, which altered California congressional district lines to counter a Texas gerrymander. His stature briefly declined when his former chief of staff faced indictment for alleged political corruption and tax fraud. A federal appeals court in Texas struck down Texas's gerrymandered congressional map, but the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily reinstated the lines and may ultimately reverse the lower court's ruling. California's Prop. 50 faces legal challenges from the state Republican Party and the Justice Department, while advocates note differences in racial intent between Texas officials' actions and California's politically driven measure.

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