CASE SUMMARY
On March 15, 2022, a Washington voter filed a federal lawsuit against Washington's Secretary of State challenging one of the legislative districts adopted by the Washington State Redistricting Commission's as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Specifically, plaintiff asserts race was the Commission's predominant consideration when it drew Legislative District 15 in the Yakima Valley to have a 50.02% Latino Citizen Voting Age Population, and such use of race violates the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause because it was not justified by any compelling governmental interest, citing the Commission's failure to conduct any racial voting pattern analyses for Voting Rights Act compliance purposes. He is seeking a judicial declaration that Legislative District 15 is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, a permanent injunction barring the defendant from using the district in future elections, and a court order requiring the creation of a new, valid legislative districting plan.
Similar Case: Palmer v. Hobbs
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Tacoma - No. 3:22-cv-5152
- Complaint - 3/15/22
- Order Reassigning Case - 3/21/22
- Order Regarding Initial Disclosures, Joint Status Report, and Early Settlement - 4/5/22
- Joint Status Report and Discovery Plan - 5/3/22
- Motion to Join Required Parties - 5/12/22
- Defendant Steven Hobbs' Answer to Plaintiff's Complaint - 5/13/22
- Order of Joinder - 6/2/22
- Amended Complaint - 6/9/22
- Order Designating Three-Judge Panel - 6/17/22
- Unopposed Motion to Extend Time for Filing Answer to Amended Complaint - 7/7/22
- Declaration of Karl D. Smith in Support of Motion to Extend Time - 7/7/22
- Defendant Steven Hobbs' Answer to Plaintiff's Amended Complaint - 7/8/22
- Defendant State of Washington's Answer to Amended Complaint - 8/9/22
- Stipulated Motion to Modify Scheduling Order and Extend Trial Date and Related Dates - 8/22/22
- Plaintiff's Response to Defendant State of Washington's Motion for Inquiry Concerning Potential Conflicts of Interest - 2/27/23
- Defendant State of Washington's Reply in Support of Motion for Inquiry Concerning Potential Conflicts of Interest - 3/1/23
- Order - 3/3/23
- Plaintiffs' Notice of Errata Corrections for Deposition of Benancio Garcia III - 3/6/23
- Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment - 3/8/23
- Plaintiffs' Notice of Conflict Affidavits Requested by Court - 3/9/23
- Order - 3/13/23
- Plaintiffs' Response in Opposition to Defendant State of Washington's Motion to Strike Notice of Errata Corrections for Deposition of Benancio Garcia III - 3/20/23
- Defendant State of Washington's Reply ISO Motion to Strike Notice of Errata Corrections for Deposition of Benancio Garcia III - 3/24/23
- Secretary Hobbs' Response to Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment - 3/27/23
- State of Washington's Response to Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment - 3/27/23
- Declaration of Andrew Hughes in Support of state of Washington's Response to Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment - 3/27/23
- Plaintiff's Reply in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment - 3/31/23
- Order Striking Errata - 4/20/23
- Order Expediting Briefing Regarding Motion for Clarification - 5/2/23
- Defendant Steve Hobbs's Response to Plaintiffs; Motion for Clarification Regarding Trial Schedule - 5/9/23
- Declaration of Stuart Holmes in Support of Defendant Secretary of State's Response to Plaintiffs' Motion for Clarification Regarding Trial Schedule - 5/9/23
- The State of Washington's [...] Joint Response to Plaintiffs' Motion for Clarification Regarding Trial Schedule - 5/9/23
- Proposed Pretrial Order - 5/24/23
- State of Washington's Trial Brief - 5/31/23
- Trial Brief of Defendant Steve Hobbs - 5/31/23
- Plaintiff's Trial Brief - 5/31/23
- Plaintiff's and Intervenor-Defendants' Unopposed Motion for Leave to File an Over-Length Post-Trial Brief - 7/12/23
- Closing Statement of Defendant Steve Hobbs - 7/12/23
- Order Granting Plaintiff's and Intervenor-Defendants' Motion for Leave to File an Over-Length Post-Trial Brief - 7/12/23
- Opinion and Order Dismissing Plaintiff's Claim as Moot - 9/8/23
- Judgment - 9/8/23
- Notice of Appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States of Opinion and Order Dismissing Plaintiff's Claim - 9/28/23