Washington’s redrawn legislative maps get OK from federal court

A federal appeals court has found that Washington’s legislative map for a district in the Yakima Valley will stay in place after it was redrawn and adopted by a U.S. District Court last year.

In the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling issued Wednesday by Judge M. Margaret McKeown, the court said it did not find evidence of racial discrimination or racial gerrymandering in the 14th legislative district nestled in Central Washington, which would have constituted a violation of the federal Equal Protection Clause.

The ruling comes after a long legal battle that began in 2022, after several Latino voters challenged the maps for violating the federal Voting Rights Act in the legislative district. They contended that maps drawn by the state’s Redistricting Commission, which is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, in 2021 were not only discriminatory but also weakened Latino voting strength.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik later adopted a map that shifted the majority Latino district from the 15th legislative district to the 14th, thereby boosting the chance of electing a Latino.

In her ruling, McKeown said a Republican-led effort to tear up those maps “failed to demonstrate that race was the predominant factor motivating the district court’s decisions,” and praised Lasnik’s “thoughtful attention to the details of the maps, population and voter numbers.”

The state Attorney General’s office and attorneys for those who sought to redraw the maps praised the outcome, according to the Washington State Standard, but some were disappointed with the Wednesday ruling.

Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, said in a news release she was denied the ability to join the case and share how she experienced real harm by the redrawing, as her district was directly impacted.

“It remains clear that what is happening here is gerrymandering at its finest,” said Torres. “The Latino community was significantly, negatively impacted: A district that was once 52% Latino is now at only 50%.”

Torres, whose home was drawn out of the 15th district, announced in March that she would move within the new district’s boundaries and would seek reelection to the state Senate in 2026, if courts upheld the maps. Her current home in Pasco is now part of the 14th legislative district, but she was allowed to fulfill her term. Torres said she is still reviewing the ruling and considering next steps.

Legislative and congressional maps are drawn every 10 years in Washington state by a commission consisting of four voting members. The most recent redrawing in 2021 sparked concerns about public transparency after the commission failed to meet a constitutional deadline and voted on maps that were not shared or discussed with the public.

Meanwhile, congressional redistricting in Texas and California is also making recent news. On Friday, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed new congressional maps meant to flip five U.S. Democratic seats in midterm elections in favor of Republicans.

In California, a measure on the November ballot will allow voters to decide if they want to approve a congressional redistricting plan signed into law by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month that would give Democrats the upper hand in the midterm elections.

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