Gavin Newsom Skewers DOJ After Embarrassing Typo in Lawsuit Against Him

California Governor Gavin Newsom has criticized Trump’s Department of Justice for an unfortunate typo after the agency joined a lawsuit that could impact which party wins control of the House next year.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday and aims to block new congressional district boundaries that Californians voted to approve last week as part of Proposition 50.

The Californian Republican Party launched the case last week, accusing the state of racial gerrymandering. They claimed Democrats in the state factored in race when plotting the redrawn map and that it now advantages Hispanic voters.

They want it axed from use in future elections, with the lawsuit calling it a “rush-job rejiggering” of California’s existing district lines.

Gavin Newsom, Pam Bondi and the outcome of the Prop 50 vote. — California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Getty Images

“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the DOJ joining the existing lawsuit. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”

An unrepentant Newsom posted on X on Thursday, “These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court.”

Newsom also pointed out an unfortunate mistake in the legal wording.

The first line in the lawsuit reads, “Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Proposition 50.”

X user Vance Ulrich noted, “I’ve been following CA politics a long time, but I never realized the CA Legislature was a “General Assembly.” This is not North Carolina. Not sending their best!”

Newsom’s Press Office account reposted Ulrich’s find, adding “When Trump’s hand-picked hacks at DOJ can’t tell California from North Carolina, you know the lawsuit is about as credible as Trump’s “I don’t know Epstein” line.”

When Trump’s hand-picked hacks at DOJ can’t tell California from North Carolina, you know the lawsuit is about as credible as Trump’s “I don’t know Epstein” line. https://t.co/s4YzcR4pnM

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 14, 2025

Both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly approved a new congressional map last month ahead of next year’s midterm elections. It appeared the DOJ meant to say California’s State Assembly, which is the lower house of the California State Legislature.

The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.

A furious Bondi appeared on Hannity on Thursday night to discuss Newsom and the lawsuit.

“It wasn’t even illicit, they are flat-out publicizing what they are trying to do and why they are trying to do it,” Bondi claimed on Fox News.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Attorney General Pam Bondi as he delivers an announcement on his Homeland Security Task Force in the State Dinning Room of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images

“They’re trying to create seats based on race and they can’t do it and we are going to hold them accountable just like any other state. They very publicly said what they’re trying to do and it’s illegal gerrymandering, they cannot do it. We sued him today. We will continue suing California until they start complying with the laws of our country.”

Newsom launched Proposition 50 as a reaction to Republicans redrawing voting districts in Texas. The changes see the GOP aim to secure five more seats ahead of the midterms, which will determine who controls the House.

Trump had already vented on Truth Social about Prop 50, claiming “The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED.”

The success of the Prop 50 vote also boosted Newsom’s standing as a contender for the next Democratic presidential candidate.

The 58-year-old was asked on CBS Sunday Morning last month if he was giving “serious thought” to a presidential run after the midterms. “Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise. I’d just be lying, and I can’t do that.”

The DOJ’s lawsuit claims California’s new congressional districts violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom arrives at a rally on November 08, 2025 in Houston, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Bill Essayli, the First Assistant United States Attorney called the maps Californians voted for “unlawful and unconstitutional.

“The U.S. Department of Justice is moving swiftly to prevent these illegal maps from tainting our upcoming elections,” he said. “California is free to draw congressional maps, but they may not be drawn based on race.”

The Attorney’s Office also quoted Jesus A. Osete, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights who said, “Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Prop 50. Californians were sold an illegal, racially gerrymandered map, but the U.S. Constitution prohibits its use in 2026 and beyond.”

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