President Trump Intends To File Lawsuit Against Democrat-Led State For Congressional Redistricting Effort

President Trump vowed to take legal action against California for its efforts to redraw its congressional district map.

Trump told reporters on Monday that a lawsuit will be filed “pretty soon” after the state’s legislature approved Gov. Newsom’s plan to create a new congressional map.

“I think I’m going to be filing a lawsuit pretty soon, and I think we’re going to be very successful in it,” Trump said.

“We’re going to be filing it through the Department of Justice. That’s going to happen,” he added.

“BRING IT,” Newsom responded.

BRING IT. https://t.co/tqRQiMg1xV

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 25, 2025

CNBC provided further info:

Trump’s announcement that the government intends to challenge the California plan came just days after he praised Republican Texas legislators’ efforts to codify a new map that would give the GOP an advantage in five more U.S. House races in the 2026 midterm elections.

That map passed the Texas state Senate early Saturday morning, sending it to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law.

“The incredible people of Texas will have the opportunity to elect five more Republicans to Congress, thanks to the passage of their much more fair new Map — A BIG WIN for Republicans in Texas, and across the Country!” Trump wrote Thursday, after the map had passed in the state House.

Trump previously told CNBC that the GOP was “entitled to five more seats” in Texas.

Trump also said he intends to file a lawsuit regarding the practice of blue slips.

“We’re also going to be filing a lawsuit on blue slipping. You know, blue slips make it impossible for me as president to appoint a judge or a U.S. attorney because they have a gentleman’s agreement, nothing memorialized, it’s a gentleman’s agreement that’s about 100 years old where if you have a president, like a Republican, and if you have a Democrat senator, that senator can stop you from appointing a judge or a U.S. attorney in particular, those two,” Trump said.

Check it out:

WATCH: President Trump vowed to file lawsuits against California over its plan to redraw the state’s congressional lines and against the use of blue slips in the Senate. https://t.co/MjvMcixvbA pic.twitter.com/GlIMBuuEiP

— The Hill (@thehill) August 25, 2025

Trump blasted Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) for his refusal to overturn the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition that allows home-state senators to veto nominees to district courts and U.S. attorneys’ offices.

President Trump Criticizes Republican Senator For Blocking His Ability To Appoint Judges And U.S. Attorneys

According to Fox News, Grassley said the practice is worth preserving for balance and state input.

“I have a Constitutional Right to appoint Judges and U.S. Attorneys, but that RIGHT has been completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator. This is because of an old and outdated ‘custom’ known as a BLUE SLIP, that Senator Chuck Grassley, of the Great State of Iowa, refuses to overturn, even though the Democrats, including Crooked Joe Biden (Twice!), have done so on numerous occasions,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“Therefore, the only candidates that I can get confirmed for these most important positions are, believe it or not, Democrats! Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to H***!” he added.

More from The Hill:

Trump on Sunday escalated his criticism of Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) for his unwillingness to overhaul the blue slip process after he was forced to withdraw the nomination of his former defense lawyer, Alina Habba, to serve as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey. The state’s Democratic senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, opposed her nomination.

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The president on Monday railed against the practice, arguing he can only get Democrats approved as U.S. attorneys.

“The only person I will be able to get approved in any of those states where you have a Democrat, I can’t get a U.S. attorney, I can only get a Democrat U.S. attorney. And this is based on an old custom, its not based on a law, and I think it’s unconstitutional, and I’ll probably be filing a suit on that soon.”

Senate Judiciary Committee chairs traditionally haven’t proceeded on federal district-level judicial and prosecutorial nominees unless both senators representing the state where those districts are located return blue-slip documents signing off on the nominees.