U.S.Court order
Supreme Court vacates rulings on Washington legislative map, orders Ninth Circuit review under Callais
The Supreme Court granted certiorari in Garcia v. Hobbs and Trevino v. Hobbs, vacated the judgments and remanded both cases to the Ninth Circuit for further consideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais. The challengers, including a Republican state lawmaker, had argued that Washington's court-drawn Yakima Valley legislative map was a racial gerrymander after a 2023 ruling found the prior map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · Courthouse News Service, Democracy Docket, Campaign Legal Center
Key points
- The order list granted the petitions in Garcia v. Hobbs (No. 25-901) and Trevino v. Hobbs (No. 25-918) without argument; no justice noted a dissent.Supreme Court of the United StatesCourthouse News Service
- Washington state officials previously urged the Supreme Court to grant, vacate, and remand after Callais altered the applicable Section 2 legal standards.Courthouse News Service
- Petitioners claimed the remedial boundary lines diluted Hispanic votes by reconfiguring Legislative District 15 into a less Hispanic district.Courthouse News Service
- Voting rights organizations had asked the justices to deny certiorari, contending the 2024 court-adopted remedial plan followed traditional districting principles.Democracy DocketCampaign Legal Center
- The Ninth Circuit previously affirmed the remedial district map, holding that race was not the predominant motivating factor in drawing boundaries.Courthouse News Service
Sources4 articles across 4 outlets
Campaign Legal Center
Courthouse News Service
Democracy Docket
Supreme Court of the United States