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