“I guess we’ll never know,” says the caption written under a photo shared by California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom. In the image is a headline declaring his state’s latest victory. (The retort was a likely nod to a now iconic acceptance speech at the Grammys.)

​California scored a major win in a high-stakes fight over who controls the U.S. House.  

This week, a federal court said that it would allow the state to use a new congressional map in the 2026 midterms. Meaning the ruling could reshape how communities across the nation’s most populous state are represented in Washington.

​In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel in Los Angeles rejected efforts by state Republicans and the U.S. Justice Department to block the map, which was approved by voters last year. The map is expected to boost Democrats, potentially flipping five additional seats blue.

​​“Republicans’ weak attempt to silence voters failed,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement. He then went on to note the overwhelming support of Prop 50, which was created as a direct response to the government’s “rigging in Texas.”

​Republican challengers argued that California crossed a constitutional line by using race to favor Latino voters in at least one district. However, the majority of the panel said the evidence proved otherwise: a partisan map, not an illegal race-based one.

​"After reviewing the evidence, we conclude that it was exactly as one would think: it was partisan," the judges wrote.​

​The stakes go beyond California’s borders. The new map was crafted as a counterpunch to the latest efforts in many Republican-led states, including Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, where lawmakers have drawn districts aimed at locking in more GOP seats.

​If both sides’ strategies work, potential Democratic gains in California could cancel out Republican gains elsewhere — but analysts say the GOP still holds a slight edge overall.