Washington’s legislative boundaries could be redrawn again after the U.S. Supreme Court sent a long-running challenge back to lower courts Monday, directing them to reconsider a 2024 map in light of a recent ruling on voting rights. The decision will not change the maps before the 2026 midterm elections. The case now returns to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the state plans to ask that court to send it to a federal district judge for review, according to the Washington attorney general’s office. The dispute centers on the 15th Legislative District, which stretches from the Pasco area into the Yakima Valley. Latino voters sued in 2022, arguing that the boundaries created after the 2020 census weakened their ability to elect candidates they preferred. In 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik approved replacement boundaries, finding the earlier maps had harmed Latino voters’ electoral power. The Supreme Court’s action follows its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which changed how courts assess some claims brought under the Voting Rights Act. The justices did not decide whether Washington’s 2024 boundaries are lawful; they returned the case so a lower court can apply the new standard. State Rep. Alex Ybarra, a Republican from Quincy and one of the lawmakers challenging the map, welcomed the development. Ybarra represents the 13th Legislative District and said Hispanic lawmakers in the region show that Latino residents already have representation. If the challengers prevail, he said, he expects the state to return to the boundaries approved by the Legislature in 2021. The attorney general’s office said the state had asked for lower courts to get the first opportunity to apply the Supreme Court’s Louisiana ruling. The court’s decision granted that request, spokesperson Mike Faulk said in an email. Washington’s 2021 redistricting process was marked by missed deadlines and transparency violations. The commission responsible for drawing the maps failed to meet its legal deadline, and later agreed to pay more than $137,000 in fines and legal costs to settle lawsuits alleging violations of the state’s Open Public Meetings Act. The state Supreme Court ultimately left the commission’s maps in place. If the courts determine the 2024 boundaries cannot stand, replacement maps could be ready for the 2027 elections, which sometimes include special legislative elections. Washington’s next regular redistricting is scheduled after the 2030 census.