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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 09-FEBRUARY 15, 2026
Supreme Court declines bid to block California’s new congressional districts By Joe Taglieri
VOL. 12,
NO. 262
Lawsuit over infamous Turpin child abuse case resolved for undisclosed amount By Paul J. Young, City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
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he U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to consider an emergency bid by a group of California Republicans to block newly redrawn, voter-approved congressional districts in effect for the midterm election this fall. In a one-sentence order with no dissenting opinions, the nation’s high court rejected the emergency request by the California Republican Party, 19 individuals and later the U.S. Department of Justice, according to court documents. The Supreme Court rejection enables California to use the newly drawn lines for most of its 52 House districts during the congressional elections in November. California Democrats launched a redistricting effort in response to mid-decade redistricting by Texas Republicans last year. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and supporters aimed to help Republicans maintain their control of the House of Representatives. California officials sought a map that would enable Democrats to gain five House seats, offsetting the Republican seats picked up in Texas. Voters in California supported Proposition 50 in November, enacting the new district boundaries in effect through the end of the decade. Assemblyman David Tangipa, R-Fresno, the state Republican Party and a group of Republican voters, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, filed a lawsuit that claimed the redrawn lines were unconstitutional because they improperly used race as a factor in creating voter district boundaries. The suit named as defendants Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
Jordan Turpin. | Photo courtesy of jordan__turpin/Instagram
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This map shows voting results in California counties for Proposition 50 congressional redistricting. | Image courtesy of MapperGuy87/Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
The plaintiffs asked judges for an injunction to stop the new district boundaries from taking effect, at least temporarily so the state’s original map would remain for the 2026 midterm election. Newsom applauded the Supreme Court’s decision Wednesday. “Donald Trump said he was ‘entitled’ to five more Congressional seats in Texas,” Newsom said in a statement. “He started this redistricting war. He
lost, and he’ll lose again in November.” Bonta said the high court’s refusal to block use of the new maps was “good news not only for Californians, but for our democracy.” “Let’s remember how we got here,” Bonta said in a statement. “President Trump told Governor Greg Abbott that Republicans were ‘entitled’ to five more See Redistricting Page 24
Congressional seats, and Texas Republicans fell in line. In direct response, and for explicitly partisan reasons, Governor Gavin Newsom and our Legislature advanced Proposition 50, presented it to the voters, and Californians overwhelmingly supported it. “With this latest win, my office has now successfully defended this critical ballot initiative on behalf
ix siblings whose natural parents abused and imprisoned them for years, only to be situated with a foster family that also engaged in abusive treatment, now have “enough money” to ideally ensure they’re secure for the remainder of their lives, following resolution of the lawsuit they filed against Riverside County and a child placement agency, one of their attorneys said Wednesday. The Turpin children, most of whom are now emancipated adults, sued the Department of Public Social Services, ChildNet Inc. and others in 2023 based on their experiences in a Perris foster home into which they were placed after they’d escaped the oft-described “house of horrors” created by their father and mother, David Turpin, 63, and Louise Turpin, 56. At the end of last year, the county and ChildNet reached a pretrial settlement with the plaintiffs to end further litigation. The complete terms of the agreement, which was publicly announced Wednesday, haven’t been disclosed. See Abuse Page 23
“They have received enough money that it should assist them for the rest of their lives,” Elan Zektser, an attorney for two of the siblings, told City News Service. He fretted that full disclosure of the sum would only lead to complications for his clients, as well as the four represented by fellow litigator Roger Booth. In a joint statement Wednesday, the men expressed hope the case and its consequences would pave the way for lasting reforms. “Representing the Turpin children and young adults has been one of the greatest privileges of our careers,” the lawyers said. “Their courage, resilience and unwavering commitment to protecting other foster children is extraordinary. We are beyond proud of them for standing up, speaking out and forcing real change in a system that failed them.” Three of the older siblings, James Turpin, 24, Julissa Turpin, 19, and Jolinda Turpin, 20, spoke with ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an exclusive