Texas Democrat Refuses To Leave Capitol Overnight in Redistricting Standoff
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A House Democrat has refused to leave the Texas Capitol overnight to protest the latest Republican move in the ongoing redistricting standoff.
State representative Nicole Collier has said she will stay in the building until Wednesday to protest a Republican requirement forcing Democrats who fled the state to have police escorts to and from the House to ensure they turn up to vote.
Why It Matters
Earlier this month, Collier and 50 other Texas Democrats traveled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts to stop a vote on a new redistricted map, drawn up by the Republican Party and thought to favor the GOP's chances in upcoming elections. The Democrats accused the GOP of gerrymandering, and the GOP in turn called out the Democrats for disrupting the passage of legislation.
After two weeks of fighting, which included legal threats and the issuing of arrest warrants, the Democrats returned to the House for a session that ended without a vote on the redistricting bill.
A plainclothes state trooper, center, shadows Texas state Representative Toni Rose as she shows her permission slip to the media and prepares to leave the House Chamber in Austin, Texas, on August 18.
A plainclothes state trooper, center, shadows Texas state Representative Toni Rose as she shows her permission slip to the media and prepares to leave the House Chamber in Austin, Texas, on August 18.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
What To Know
Upon Democrats' return to the state Capitol, speaker Dustin Burrows said they could leave the House floor only with written permission and if they agreed to be under the custody of a law enforcement officer until the House's next meeting on Wednesday.
Collier refused to participate in this arrangement and was not allowed to leave the House floor without an escort.
On X, an account for the Texas House Democratic Caucus began a livestream on Monday night showing Collier in the House.
Representative Gene Wu, the chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, posted a photo on X showing food items Collier had with her, which included dried peaches, popcorn and instant noodles.
Thank you for all who are watching the @TexasHDC livestream. @NicoleCollier95 & I have snacks!
For those asking, the livestream does not have audio. #txlege https://t.co/ZDyheJPVHO pic.twitter.com/QfSdWB2dWh — Gene Wu (@GeneforTexas) August 19, 2025
What People Are Saying
State representative Nicole Collier said in a statement: "I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts."
U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, wrote on social media: "As a former Texas State Rep, let me be clear: LOCKING Rep. Nicole Collier inside the chamber is beyond outrageous. Forcing elected officials to sign 'permission slips' & take police escorts to leave? That's not procedure. That's some old Jim Crow playbook."
She added: "Texas Republicans have lost their damn minds."
Representative Gene Wu, the chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement: "We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation—reshaping the entire 2026 landscape."
Gary Bledsoe, the president of the Texas NAACP, said in a statement: "The quorum was made, so her constitutional action in representing her district cannot now provide the basis for her detention."
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said: "Members who have not been present until today, for whom arrest warrants were issued, will be granted written permission to leave only after agreeing to be released into the custody of a designated DPS officer appointment."
What Happens Next
As Texas' redistricting plans proceed, similar measures are brewing in other Republican states. The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a dispute over redistricting in Louisiana and earlier this year overturned a lower court decision that ruled South Carolina's congressional map was unconstitutional.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has said he will retaliate against Republican redistricting efforts by redistricting the Golden State to favor his party.
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