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Texas Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier abruptly left a private call between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders earlier this week after she was told she was committing a felony by being on the call in the Texas Capitol. Footage of the dramatic moment that highlighted the increasing intensity of the fight over the state’s contentious redistricting bill showed Collier joining the call with Newsom, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and other Democratic leaders while members of the Texas House of Representatives met on the chamber floor to debate a redistricting measure that Democrats have said violates federal voting rights protections.

Collier, who is Black, spoke on the video call while the Texas House was debating the redistricting bill on the floor of the state Capitol. In her remarks, the Texas lawmaker said the map violates the Voting Rights Act and would allow minority communities to elect their preferred candidates. She added that the proposed map “packs and cracks” the state.

“This bill will make it more difficult for Black and brown folks to elect the candidate of their choice because they’re cracking and packing these districts,” Collier said.

About 30 minutes into the conversation, while DNC Chair Ken Martin was speaking, Collier hopped off the call to say she needed 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 added before turning to someone off camera.

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

Lawmakers on the call were stunned. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was the first to voice his indignation at the situation, labeling it “outrageous.” Booker also applauded Collier for not caving to the threat. “Let me tell you something, Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office,” Booker said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom could be seen nodding in agreement. Booker then pressed Collier’s point further, explaining to the group that the attempt to stop Collier from being on the call was an effort to suppress the voice of a Black woman leader.

“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.”

Booker added, “This is what they’re trying to do is shut down leaders. She’s a member of the Texas state legislature, and they’re trying to silence her and tell her she can’t have a conversation about democracy, the law, and her First Amendment rights.”

Booker and Newsom were on the call with a bipartisan group of Democratic leaders from across the country to discuss a redistricting plan, one of the most contentious bills in the Lone Star State this session. Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for two weeks to deny the GOP a quorum to pass the legislation. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the arrest of absent Democrats, and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan threatened to remove members from office if they did not return to the state to vote.

When Democrats eventually returned to Austin, the security situation at the Texas Capitol had tightened. Several members told CNN that Texas Department of Public Safety officers were assigned to follow them. The officers have been spotted guarding some offices or following lawmakers throughout the building. Some members also said they have been required to sign “permission slips” to leave the Capitol under the tightened security measures to ensure lawmakers maintain quorum.

The Texas bill would add as many as five Republican congressional seats. Texas Democrats said the addition of GOP seats could cement Republican political power in the state for a decade. California Democrats have said they will offset Republican gains in Texas with new congressional seats in their state. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) unveiled a new congressional map in California that would wipe out as many as five Republican seats, one for each new seat that the Texas plan would create.

On Friday, California’s new map was released, showing how Democrats are working to shift representation on the West Coast to nullify the GOP gains that Texas is trying to secure.

As the fight over redistricting in Texas has increased in intensity, Republicans and Democrats have increasingly turned to out-of-state maps. Control of Congress is at stake for both parties in 2022, and new maps in every state could have an impact. For Democrats, the fight in Texas has become the symbolic target of voting rights challenges and an attempt to galvanize Democratic activists to fight GOP efforts they see as an effort to suppress minority political power.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Booker and Newsom for comment, but did not hear back. Collier’s office declined to provide further details, citing the fact that the Texas House is still in session.

For the time being, Collier’s dramatic departure provides a striking image in the fight: a lawmaker forced to hang up on her party leaders from the bathroom of the Capitol, after she was told that she could be charged with a felony for being on the call.