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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 claimed it was a felony for her to be on the meeting while she was inside the Texas Capitol.

The bizarre scene, which highlighted just how heated the fight over Texas’s hotly contested redistricting bill has become, happened as the state’s Democratic House members are pushing back against Republican leaders over the measure, which Democrats say violates federal protections on voting.

Collier and other Democrats answered the Zoom call with Newsom, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and other Democratic leaders at the same time the Texas House of Representatives was in session and debating a redistricting bill pushed by former President Donald Trump. Collier, who at one point spoke on the call, said during her remarks on the floor that the map on the table was not in compliance with the Voting Rights Act and would make it harder for 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, explaining the practice of redistributing voters to weaken their political clout.

But about 30 minutes into the call, as Martin was speaking, Collier suddenly excused herself and bolted off-camera to ask someone off-screen for information, before cutting off the call. “Sorry, I have to leave. They said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier said on the call. “I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom,” she added, before turning to the individual off-camera.

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” she said, apparently to the person off-screen. She then turned back to the call. “No, hang on. Bye everybody. I’ve got to go,” she said before disconnecting.

The lawmakers on the call were left shocked, with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker quickly denouncing the situation, which he called “outrageous,” while touting Collier for her actions. “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 thumbs-up to Booker. 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.”

Democrats and Texas Republicans Fight Over Redistricting

The moment came as one of the most bitter redistricting fights in recent memory has engulfing Texas. Dozens of Democrats in the Texas House had fled the state for two weeks, drawing national attention to their fight to stop Republicans from passing the bill because of what they said was its violation of federal voting rights laws.

After lawmakers fled, Greg Abbott and other GOP leaders ordered law enforcement to arrest those who did not return and threatened that they could be removed from office. Eventually, Texas Democrats returned to the Capitol in Austin, but lawmakers said the tenor of the place had changed.

Members told The Daily Beast that Texas Department of Public Safety officers were ordered to begin monitoring each member in the Texas Capitol. Lawmakers described state troopers as standing outside of their offices, sometimes guarding doors and following them around the building. Other members said they had to sign “permission slips” if they left the building.

Democrats say the Texas bill could add up to five Republican seats in Congress, which would give the GOP a lock on the state for a decade, but they have moved to fight back. California Democrats unveiled their redistricting battle plan, with Newsom and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) this week unveiling a new California congressional map that would wipe out five Republican seats in the state, mitigating any gains Republicans could make in Texas.

Friday, the California map was released in a way that could offset Republican gains in Texas.

It is the latest way that partisan fights in redistricting in one state are now spilling into national politics, as both parties are looking toward taking back control of Congress in the next election, and each district will help determine whether that happens. Democrats have made the fight in Texas both a symbol of the battle over voting rights and a rallying cry for their supporters.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Booker and Newsom but did not immediately receive a response. Collier’s office also did not respond to a request for comment but said that the Texas House is still in session.