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Texas Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier abruptly hung up on a private call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders this week after she was told it was a felony to participate in the call while on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.

The moment, which highlighted just how heated the battle over Texas’s controversial redistricting bill had become, occurred as Collier joined the video conference call alongside Newsom, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and other party officials while lawmakers in the Texas House of Representatives were debating a redistricting bill favored by former President Donald Trump.

During the conference call, Collier criticized the map, which she said violated the Voting Rights Act and would “chip away” at the ability of minority communities to elect candidates of their choosing.

“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.

Collier’s remarks. The video of Collier’s remarks was shared by a group of lawmakers from both the House and Senate who had remained in the state to protest the Texas bill, which Democrats have charged is a violation of federal voting protections.

Collier then left the call, telling the group she had been told she was not allowed to be on the floor of the House or the bathroom.

“I’m sorry. I have to leave. They said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier said.

“I’m sorry. I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom,” she added, speaking to an unidentified person off camera. “You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom.”

Collier then turned back to the video call. “No, hang on,” she said. “Bye, everybody. I’ve got to go.” Collier then clicked off the call.

The moment stunned those on the call. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was one of the first to speak.

“This is outrageous,” Booker said. “Listen, let me tell you something. Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office.”

Newsom nodded in agreement, and Booker continued his remarks, suggesting the incident was an attempt to silence a Black woman leader.

“What they’re trying to do right there is silence an American leader, silence a Black woman, and that is outrageous,” Booker continued. “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.”

The Fight Over Redistricting Bleeds From Texas Into California

The incident with Collier comes after one of the most high-profile and heated fights over redistricting battles in recent years. Over two weeks ago, more than 50 Democratic members of the Texas House fled the state in a dramatic effort to kill the legislation by denying the state a quorum to do business. The move prompted Gov. Greg Abbott and other state Republican leaders to order the lawmakers arrested and threatened to remove them from office if they refused to return.

Days after the lawmakers came back to the state, the climate at the Texas Capitol had changed. Lawmakers reported that when they returned to the state Capitol in Austin, Texas Department of Public Safety officials were stationed to follow members around the building, some guarding lawmakers’ offices or even walking with them through the building. Lawmakers described having to sign “permission slips” to leave the building under the tightened security protocols put in place to ensure the body had a quorum.

The Texas bill would add as many as five Republican congressional seats to the congressional map. Democrats have called the effort a power grab that would solidify GOP control of the state for the next decade.

This week, California Democrats rolled out a redistricting bill of their own. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee unveiled their congressional map in California, one that Democrats believe would wipe out five GOP seats in that state.

The map, released Friday, would effectively erase five Republican seats in the Golden State in the event Republicans hold a slim majority in Congress after the 2022 midterm elections. The effort in California has been led by Newsom in coordination with DCCC Chair Rep. Tony. Advancing the California map is considered key in the effort to fight back against any potential gains the GOP could make in Texas.

Redistricting disputes that typically happened in statehouses are increasingly becoming nationalized in the lead-up to midterm elections next year, when control of Congress is at stake. The battle between Texas and California showed just how the fights are now bleeding across state lines, with every new congressional seat in one state up for grabs likely to have an effect in the other.