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.

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“The circumstances of this case strongly favor relief,” and to not do so would be a “manifest injustice,” reads the brief filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on behalf of Jose Trevino and state Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy. Lasnick allowed them to intervene in the case at an earlier stage, in 2022. House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, an attorney, is part of the firm representing them.

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