Redistricting ruling stirs partisan uproar

A federal judge incited a firestorm in Washington state politics Friday with his redrawing of a contested Yakima Valley legislative district.

As Democratic and Latino voting rights activists cheered, Republican leaders blasted U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik’s decision and said it should be overturned by a higher court.

“This is a gigantic change across the state to get the political outcome the judge and plaintiffs wanted, a Democratic district,” said a riled-up Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia. “I am sure that Judge Lasnik has had a distinguished judicial career. Frankly, the decision is shameful.”

Meanwhile, Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, hailed the decision as “a great day for democracy.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/03/15/redistricting-ruling-in-washington-stirs-partisan-uproar/