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Texas Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier abruptly left a private call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other party leaders this week after she claimed to have been told that it was a felony to be on the call while in the Texas Capitol.

The surprise moment took place during the pitched battle over Texas’s controversial redistricting bill, which Democrats have argued in recent days violates federal voting protections.

Collier joined Newsom, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and other party officials in a video call as the Texas House of Representatives debated the Trump-backed redistricting measure. Speaking during the call, Collier said the proposed map would weaken the Voting Rights Act and would “definitely” decrease the power of minority voters 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, speaking into the camera.

Speaking 30 minutes into the call while Martin was talking, Collier suddenly excused herself from the call to say she had to leave.

“Sorry, I have to leave. They said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier told the group. “I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom,” she continued to the camera before addressing someone in the background off-camera.

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” Collier said.

Collier then returned to the call, which had been on mute, saying, “No, hang on. Bye everybody. I’ve got to go.” The camera showed Collier walk away and disconnect.

Shocked by the abrupt interruption, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker immediately turned to the camera and blasted the situation as “outrageous,” while commending Collier’s character.

“Let me tell you something, Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office,” Booker said.

Newsom gave a small thumbs-up in response. Booker then continued, turning his remarks into the Democratic caucus more generally.

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

Democrats, Republicans Battle Over Redistricting Plans in California and Texas

The incident comes amid the most hotly contested redistricting battle in the country. Dozens of Democratic members of the Texas House fled the state two weeks ago in an attempt to force Republicans to back down on the bill by preventing them from having the quorum necessary to move forward with it. In response, the Republican leadership, led by Gov. Greg Abbott, ordered the Democrats arrested if they refused to return. The lawmakers who left were also threatened with removal from office if they did not come back.

Democrats returned to Austin under the new security protocol after more than two weeks absent. But several members told local reporters that, upon their return, the Texas Department of Public Safety placed officers on them. The DPS officers would either guard members’ offices or follow lawmakers around the Capitol.

Some members have also described being forced to sign “permission slips” to leave the Capitol under the new security measures.

The Texas bill, which is now headed to the Texas Senate, could create as many as five new Republican congressional seats, which Democrats say would solidify GOP power for the next decade. In response, California Democrats unveiled a redistricting plan of their own to nullify the potential new Republican seats in Texas. In collaboration with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Newsom announced Friday a new congressional map that would essentially wipe out five Republican seats in California, thus wiping out potential Republican seats created in Texas.

In a press release on Friday, Newsom unveiled the California congressional map.

The California plan was released on Friday as part of the news conference.

The feud between Texas and California marks one of the most notable redistricting battles yet to play out between the states. Both California and Texas represent the nation’s most populous states, and with each new district created, both parties are looking at the potential gain of Congressional seats ahead of next year’s election. For Democrats, the fight in Texas has become a key issue, both symbolically, as a sign of larger voting rights concerns across the country, as well as a tangible target of a fight they are using to rally their base.

For now, the moment remains one of the more striking from the ongoing battle: a Texas lawmaker forced to hang up on the leaders of her party from a bathroom stall after being told she could face felony charges for doing so.