California Republicans sue to pause Newsom's redistricting effort

• "Republicans are filing a deeply unserious (and truly laughable) lawsuit to stop Americans from voting? We're neither surprised, nor worried," Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for the governor's office, said in a statement.

Driving the news: The lawsuit argues that the legislation's timeline undermines the state constitution's 30-day rule for public review.

• "Instead of a months-long transparent and participatory process overseen by an independent citizens redistricting commission for such a sensitive matter, the public would be presented with an up or down vote on maps unilaterally prepared in secret by the Legislature," the lawsuit said.
• The legislators are represented by Dhillon Law Group, a conservative law firm.

State of play: Democratic lawmakers planned to pass a package of bills in the "Election Rigging Response Act" on Thursday, ahead of a Nov. 4 special election.

• The lawsuit argues that the legislature can't act on the bills until Sept. 18.

Zoom out: The National Republican Congressional Committee said on Friday it was prepared to fight Newsom's redistricting attempts.

Go deeper: Newsom mocks Trump's social media in a flurry of redistricting posts

Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from the governor's office.