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Texas Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier abruptly left a call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders this week, after being told it was a felony to participate in the meeting while at the Texas Capitol.

“I have to go. Sorry, but they said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier, D-Austin, told the group before cutting off the Zoom call with the Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and other party officials.

Collier and Newsom were on the call with other Democratic officials, while the Texas House of Representatives was also meeting on a redistricting bill that Democrats call an attack on federal voting protections. Former President Donald Trump has pushed for the Texas redistricting plan.

The Texas lawmaker was speaking during the call about the House floor debate. Collier said the proposed map violates the Voting Rights Act and would reduce the ability for minority voters to elect their preferred candidates.

“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 during her comments.

Collier then interrupted Martin’s remarks to the call around 30 minutes in. “I have to go. Sorry, but they said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier said. “I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom,” Collier added before continuing to talk to someone off-camera.

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” Collier said to the individual. “No, hang on. Bye everybody. I’ve got to go,” she continued, before she disconnected the call.

Democratic leaders on the call were caught off guard by Collier’s unexpected departure. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker began the call shouting, “Oh, that’s outrageous! Rep. Collier, come on! Are you serious?” Booker shouted.

“You know what, Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office,” Booker added. “That is the truth.”

The California governor nodded his head in agreement.

Booker then continued, telling Collier, “Don’t take that s***, I’m not playing with that.”

“This is exactly what they’re trying to do, to silence an American leader, to silence a Black woman, and that is outrageous,” Booker added. “The outrageous reason, what we just witnessed right there, is the lengths that they’re going to in Texas. You think this is a one-state issue,” he added.

The confrontation comes as the two states are locked in a redistricting war between the Lone Star State and the Golden State.

Dozens of Democratic members of the Texas House fled the state Capitol two weeks ago in an attempt to block Republicans from holding a quorum and approving the map, which critics call an assault on federal voting protections.

In the aftermath of the walkout, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican leaders of the state ordered that the lawmakers be arrested and threatened to have them removed from office if they refused to return to the state Capitol to continue the work.

When Democratic lawmakers finally returned to the Capitol in Austin, the Texas statehouse, members said officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety were given orders to trail the returning lawmakers at all times. The DPS officers would often guard their offices or follow them throughout the Capitol, some lawmakers reported.

In some instances, some lawmakers said they were being forced to sign “permission slips” to leave the Capitol after the new rules were adopted to ensure lawmakers were present and quorum was not broken.

The Texas plan would add as many as five GOP congressional seats in the state, according to Democrats. That would shift the advantage in the fight for control of Congress, which could see Democrats hang on to the House for at least another decade. As part of the strategy to neutralize that gain, California Democrats made their redistricting announcement this week.

The California Democratic governor made a joint announcement with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) late Thursday of a new California congressional map. It would stand to likely eliminate five Republican seats, offsetting GOP gains won with the Texas effort.

On Friday, a new California map was unveiled. The maps show how Democratic efforts could neutralize the GOP gains expected on the other side of the state.

Politically competitive districts in one state are becoming more and more becoming a national battle. Every added congressional seat will play a major role in next year’s battle for Congress. Control of the U.S. House is in the balance, with both parties seeking to gain the majority for the next two years.

For Democrats, the Texas fight became about voting rights and offering some resistance to an effort that they argue would suppress the political power of minority voters.