Rep. Nicole Collier Says She Couldn’t Stay on Call From Capitol Bathroom

Rep. Nicole Collier Says She Couldn’t Stay on Call From Capitol Bathroom
  • calendar_today August 11, 2025
  • Business

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Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier left an internal Democratic call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Ken Martin, and others on Tuesday after she was told it was a felony to be on the call while she was in the Texas Capitol.

Collier made the revelation to the group as the Texas House of Representatives was debating a redistricting bill that passed the state Senate last week and is supported by former President Donald Trump. In her comments to the call, she said that the map doesn’t follow the Voting Rights Act, and it would hurt the state’s minority communities to elect the candidates they choose.

“This bill will prohibit Black and brown individuals from being able to choose who they want to vote for because they’re cracking and packing these communities,” she told the group during her remarks.

The Texas Democrat appeared on the call along with Newsom, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and other Democratic leaders as the House was debating the measure. About 30 minutes into the call, as Martin was speaking, Collier suddenly interrupted to say she had to go.

“Sorry, I have to leave. They said it’s a felony for me to do this,” she told the group. She then added, “Apparently, I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom.” The representative then turned to a person off camera.

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” Collier said. She then turned back to the group. “No, hang on. Bye everybody. I’ve got to go.” With that, she hung up.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker quickly jumped on the call to decry what had just happened, saying it was “outrageous” what Collier was put through and that the Texas representative was a person with integrity. “Let me tell you something, Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office,” Booker said.

Newsom shook his head in agreement, and Booker continued. “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.”

California and Texas Fight Over Redistricting

The move came as one of the most intense redistricting fights in the country had reached a boiling point. In a two-week drama, dozens of Democratic state House members fled the state for a period to prevent Republicans from being able to call a quorum and pass a redistricting bill through the chamber.

In response, Gov. Greg Abbott and other GOP state leaders had the lawmakers arrested and said they could be removed from office for not returning. While most of the Democrats eventually returned to Austin, some lawmakers said upon their return, the atmosphere at the Capitol had changed. The Texas Department of Public Safety assigned officers to follow the Democrats around at the Capitol. Some lawmakers said officers would guard their offices and even wait outside their offices as they went in and out. Other lawmakers said they were told to sign “permission slips” if they wanted to leave the Capitol.

The Texas bill would add as many as five GOP congressional seats. The plan Democrats argue could be in place for the next decade, in which Republicans would have an advantage. To try and combat that move, California Democrats were taking their steps. Newsom, with the help of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), on Tuesday morning unveiled their congressional map that could help Democrats potentially eliminate five Republican-held seats—offsetting the impact that could be gained in Texas with the new GOP-drawn congressional districts.

On Friday, the new California map was released. The map would eliminate five Republican seats.

The incident came as both states looked to redraw congressional districts ahead of the next round of elections. With both parties looking to gain control of Congress in the coming election cycle, every new seat matters. Democrats have also used the move in Texas as a symbol of the voting rights concerns they are looking to address. A day before the California Democrats revealed their map, Texas Democrats had urged action on a federal bill on voting rights that was pending before Congress.

With the Texas House still in session, Collier on Tuesday afternoon told the Associated Press that she was back in her office and would go to the bathroom if she needed to go to the restroom, but also that she would return to her office.