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Texas Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier abruptly disconnected from a private call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic officials this week after she claimed that someone at the Capitol had told her it would be a felony for her to be in the meeting.

The Texas state representative joined the video call, which also included Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, Newsom, and other state Democratic party officials, while the Texas House of Representatives was meeting to debate a redistricting bill favored by former President Donald Trump. During the call, Collier said she thought the map was a violation of the Voting Rights Act and would reduce the power of minority communities to elect the candidates of their choice.

“This bill will prevent Black and brown individuals from selecting the candidates of their choice because they’re cracking and packing these districts,” Collier said.

Half an hour into the meeting, with Martin speaking, Collier interrupted and said she had to leave the call. “Sorry, I have to leave. They said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier said. She then added, “Apparently, I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom” before turning to speak to someone off-camera.

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” Collier said to an unidentified person. Collier then turned back to the camera and said, “No, hang on. Bye everybody. I’ve got to go.” Collier then hung up the call.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who was on the call, could be heard gasping at the development. “Wait, what the f–k? This is outrageous. Thank God we got Rep. Collier back. Let me tell you something, Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office,” Booker said.

Newsom responded with a head nod. Booker then went on to turn the moment into a larger condemnation of an attempt to silence the Black woman state representative. “What they’re trying to do right there is silence an American leader, silence a Black woman, and that is outrageous,” he said. “What we just witnessed, them trying to shut her down and saying it’s illegal for her to be in the bathroom and on this call, this is the lengths that they’re going to in Texas.”

Texas and California in Battle Over Redistricting

The confrontation at the Texas Capitol comes after one of the most contentious fights over a redistricting map. Dozens of Democrats in the Texas House left the state two weeks ago, staging a highly visible political protest in an attempt to prevent Republicans from having a quorum to pass the legislation. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders ordered the Democrats to be arrested. Other GOP leaders have said that lawmakers who do not return could face removal from office.

After returning to Austin, Democrats said the Texas state Capitol had turned into something out of a police state. Texas Department of Public Safety officials were ordered to monitor them, assigning one trooper to each lawmaker to ensure that they did not leave the Capitol. Texas DPS officers reportedly have been following legislators through the Capitol, sometimes guarding their offices or watching them as they move around the building. Other lawmakers said they have to sign “permission slips” if they need to leave the Capitol.

The Texas bill would create as many as five new Republican congressional seats. Democrats fear that such a move could cement Republican power for the next decade. To blunt the impact of such a loss in Texas, California Democrats have moved to change their congressional maps. Newsom and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced a new congressional map for California on Thursday that would eliminate as many as five Republican seats, neutralizing the GOP gain in Texas.

California released the new map on Friday. The state’s new congressional map would effectively nullify the potential gains that Republican lawmakers in Texas expect to secure after redistricting is complete.

The exchange at the Texas Capitol illustrates how hotly contested redistricting battles are fast becoming national fights. In the midterms, control of Congress is on the line, and every new Republican or Democratic district has the potential to change the map. For Democrats, the battle in Texas has served as both a cause célèbre over voting rights and a flash point to mobilize a party that has fought long and hard to prevent what they view as an attack on the rights of minority voters.

This article appeared in The Political Insider and is republished here with permission.