Washington's legislative map may get redrawn — again
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Washington's political maps may have to be redrawn again after an order handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court this week.
Why it matters: Although the legal fight centers on Latino voting power in the Yakima Valley, changes to the map could ripple across the state's legislative districts, including in King County.
- While the high court's order won't affect this fall's election, it could lead to Washington's political boundaries being redrawn for the third time this decade — a process that normally takes place once every 10 years.
Driving the news: The Supreme Court on Monday tossed out two appeals court rulings stemming from challenges to Washington's legislative district map.
- The justices told the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to take another look at the cases in light of a redistricting ruling the Supreme Court issued earlier this year.
Catch up quick: The Supreme Court's April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais narrowed a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that governs racial discrimination in redistricting.
The decision matters in Washington, where a federal judge ruled in 2023 that a Yakima Valley legislative district diluted Latino voting power, violating the Voting Rights Act.
- That district court judge ordered a new map for the 2024 elections, which was upheld by the 9th Circuit last August.
- A separate case had challenged the original Yakima Valley district as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. That case had been dismissed as moot, but is now back in play.
What they're saying: State Rep. Jim Walsh, the chair of the Washington State Republican Party, called the Supreme Court's latest order "great news" in a post on X this week.
- Walsh criticized Washington's current court-ordered map as a "gerrymander" that is "racist" and "unconstitutional."
The other side: Supporters of the current map vowed to defend it.
- "We won this case twice already, and we intend to win again," Annabelle Harless, director of redistricting litigation at Campaign Legal Center, said in a statement.
- Harless said the group would continue fighting to preserve Latino voting power in the Yakima Valley, despite what she called recent Supreme Court actions "weakening the Voting Rights Act."
The bottom line: Washington's legislative maps may be less than final. Again.