(The Center Square) – With the general election less than eight months away, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik adopted a new Washington state legislative map on Friday to create a majority-Latino voting district in central Washington.

Lasnik’s decision comes after his ruling in August 2023 in Soto Palmer v. Hobbs that legislative maps drawn in 2021 by the Washington State Redistricting Commission for the Yakima Valley “cracked” – or diluted – the Latino vote.