LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The California Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition by several Republican lawmakers seeking to block Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to redraw U.S. House districts in the state.

"Petitioners have failed to meet their burden of establishing a basis for relief at this time under California Constitution article IV, section 8," the court wrote in a denial.

Four Republican lawmakers in California filed a petition with the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to block Newsom's redistricting plan, a petition shared by California state assembly member Tri Ta showed.

"California's Constitution requires bills to be in print for 30 days, but that safeguard was ignored. By bypassing this provision, Sacramento has effectively shut voters out of engaging in their own legislative process," Ta said in a post on social media platform X.

Redistricting means redrawing electoral district boundaries that impact elections for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Last week, Newsom said California would put a state constitutional amendment on the ballot in a Nov. 4 special election that could temporarily redraw the state's congressional districts mid-decade "to respond to what's happening in Texas." His plan would allow one-time adjustments in 2026, 2028 and 2030.

Newsom's proposal could net Democrats five more U.S. House seats, increasing their current 43-9 majority. California, home to nearly 40 million residents, has the largest delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, with 52 seats.

The Democratic-controlled state's legislature prepares to vote this week on Newsom's proposed plan.

The move came as the Texas GOP-dominated House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a redistricting bill aimed at garnering five new congressional seats for Republicans in the U.S. midterm elections next year. The state House passed the redrawn congressional map by a vote of 88 to 52 along party lines.

The vote came after a two-week delay when more than 50 Texas Democratic lawmakers stayed out of the state in protest against the rare mid-decade redistricting plan.

The dueling efforts in California and Texas reflected a broader partisan struggle over congressional boundaries. Multiple U.S. media outlets have described it as an "arms race." ■