Federal judge asked to ditch WA legislative district maps

A federal judge is weighing whether to toss redrawn political maps for Washington’s Legislature that he approved two years ago, a move that state officials warn would take “a wrecking ball” to the upcoming primary, possibly forcing it to be rescheduled.

The legal tussle centers on U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik’s controversial penning of new legislative district boundaries to enhance the political voice of Latino voters in the Yakima Valley. This revamp shifted more than 300,000 people across 13 legislative districts in eastern and western Washington ahead of elections in 2024.

Those challenging the maps argued in a motion filed last week that Lasnik should undo his decision because it does not align with the U.S. Supreme Court’s direction in Louisiana v. Callais, a ruling in late April that significantly curtailed the use of race in redrawing legislative boundaries.

They want him to restore the lines drawn by Washington’s bipartisan redistricting commission in 2021. Alternatively, they want Lasnik to inform the U.S. Supreme Court that he’s prepared to do so if a separate appeal on the maps that is pending before the high court is sent back to him.




https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/14/federal-judge-asked-to-ditch-wa-legislative-maps/