Texas Representative Sues Newsom Over California Redistricting

A congressman from Texas is asking a federal judge to block a retaliatory move by California to wipe out Republican congressional gains the Trump administration hopes to secure through Texas’ controversial mid-decade redistricting.

California’s response to Texas in the form of a constitutional amendment election is “plainly unconstitutional and retaliatory,” Rep. Ronny Jackson (R) said in a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

If California succeeds, Jackson says it will dilute his power as a Republican member in the House and leave him vulnerable to losing his chair on two subcommittees.

Jackson filed the lawsuit in his hometown Amarillo, Texas, a single-judge division in the Northern District of Texas. The case is assigned to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of President Donald Trump favored by conservative litigants.

The tit-for-tat between the two large states could determine which party controls the House after the 2026 midterm elections.

The challenge filed Aug. 29 comes days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation on Aug. 21 initiating a statewide election in November on adopting a temporary Congressional map.

The move follows Trump persuading Texas lawmakers to approve a new map projected to give Republicans five additional Congressional seats.

Texas’ map, which Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed into law Aug. 29, is being challenged in a different federal court on the basis that it takes into account the racial makeup of voters.

Jackson, a physician, held the title of Physician to the President under the Obama Administration and the first Trump Administration. He joined Congress in 2021.

Jackson is represented by Epstein & Co. LLC and Taylor Dykema PLLC.

The case is Jackson v. Weber, N.D. Tex., No. 2:25-cv-00197, 8/29/25.