Washington Legislative Redistricting Challenge (Garcia)

Lawsuit filed on behalf of a voter challenging Washington state’s new legislative map drawn with 2020 census data. The complaint alleges that Legislative District 15 is a racial gerrymander that violates the 14th Amendment because race was used as the predominant factor in drawing the district without any compelling reason. The plaintiff points to the district’s “odd shape” and argues that the map drawers divided up communities of interest and multiple counties in order to create a district with a bare majority (50.02%) of Latino voters. The lawsuit asks the court to block the new legislative map for being an illegal racial gerrymander and order the creation of new districts that comply with the U.S. Constitution. Litigation is ongoing and a trial is scheduled for June 2, 2023. On Sept. 8, 2023, the court dismissed the case, ruling that a decision in a related case, Palmer v. Hobbs, renders the case moot. On Sept. 28, 2023, the plaintiff directly appealed the dismissal to the U.S. Supreme Court. On Feb. 20, 2024, the Court vacated the dismissal and remanded the case back to the district court to declare a fresh judgment. The order notes that any further appeal must go to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On March 25, 2024 the district court issued an amended judgment dismissing the case. On April 17, 2024, the plaintiffs appealed the amendment judgment of dismissal to the 9th Circuit.

STATUS: Litigation is ongoing in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral argument is scheduled for March 27, 2025.

Last updated: December 9, 2024 4:28 pm EST