Latest news with #DemocraticLegislators
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues to remove 13 Democrats over quorum-breaking walkout
EL PASO, Texas - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit to remove 13 Democratic state legislators from office amid the ongoing standoff over redrawing U.S. House districts to help President Donald Trump and the GOP maintain their majority in the 2026 midterms. The suit, filed with the Texas Supreme Court on Aug. 8, asserts that the prolonged absence of the Democratic legislators amounts to an abandonment of their elected offices. The 13 Texas state Democrats were part of a contingent of lawmakers who left the state on Aug. 2 in an effort to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass their proposed new congressional maps. The maps, demanded by Trump and pushed through by Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, are designed to give Republicans five new Texas seats in the U.S. House of Representatives following the November 2026 election. Paxton targeted legislators from Texas' most populous cities, such as Austin, Houston and Dallas. 'The rogue Democrat legislators who fled the state have abandoned their duties, leaving their seats vacant,' Paxton, who is running in 2026 for the U.S. Senate against incumbent GOP Sen. Jon Cornyn, said in a news release. 'These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold. Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on," Paxton added. The lawsuit concedes that the Texas Constitution gives legislators in the minority party the right to "resist legislation," but asserts that the constitution likewise allows the majority party to compel attendance in an effort to ensure that state business is conducted. More: Gov. Greg Abbott targets El Paso Rep. Vince Perez in Texas redistricting arrest push 'The Texas Constitution, statutes, and rules provide a broad range of tools for members of a legislative minority to be heard," the lawsuit states. "But those tools do not include concerted effort by members of the minority to disrupt the functioning of the Legislature by abdicating their duties, including spurning the constitutional authority of the remaining members to compel their attendance. When members of the Legislature disregard arrest warrants, refuse to perform their duties, and announce that they intend to prevent the Legislature from exercising its constitutional responsibilities, they have, through words and conduct, demonstrated an intent to relinquish and abandon their offices.' The 13 Democratic state legislators being targeted by Paxton are: State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin State Rep. Lulu Flores, D-Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Plano State Rep. Suleman Lalani, D-Houston State Rep. John Bucy III, D-Austin State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston State Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Dallas State Rep. Christina Morales, D-Houston State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, D-Dallas Paxton said the 13 Democrats are being singled out because they "made incriminating public statements regarding their refusal to return, essentially confirming in their own words the very grounds for this legal action," according to the news release. Along with the lawsuit, Paxton is also moving to enforce arrest warrants in other states and is launching an investigation into the voting advocacy group Powered by People, which is currently getting a boost from former gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, and Texas Majority PAC for what he claims is "an illegal financial influence scheme to bribe Democrats into breaking quorum." O'Rourke, a former U.S. representative from El Paso, has challenged Paxton and others working to reshape congressional maps in the hopes of electing more Republicans. "The guy impeached for bribery is going after the folks trying to stop the theft of five congressional seats," O'Rourke wrote in a post on X Wednesday, Aug. 6. "Let's stop these thugs before they steal our country." Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@ This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: AG Ken Paxton asks court to oust Dems who fled to block GOP redistricting
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mass. among places Texas lawmakers fleeing to during redistricting fight
A standoff in Texas over redrawn U.S. House maps sought by President Donald Trump sharply escalated Sunday when dozens of Democratic legislators left the state to block a vote, followed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott warning them that he will seek their removal from office if they don't return. The revolt by Democrats, and Abbott giving them until Monday to come home or face efforts to strip them of their elected positions, pushed a widening fight over congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections into new territory. At the center of the deepening impasse is Trump's pursuit of five more winnable congressional seats that will help bolster the GOP's chances of preserving their slim U.S. House majority. In response to Texas' rare mid-decade political gerrymander, Democratic governors have floated the possibility of redrawing their own state's maps in retaliation, but their options are limited. Many of the Texas Democrats were bound for Illinois and a welcoming from Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, who in recent weeks has offered them support. Another contingent of lawmakers departed for Boston to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures' annual legislative summit, alongside some Senate Democrats, according to the Texas Tribune. House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu declined to say how long lawmakers were prepared to stay out of Texas, and it was unclear whether the gambit would succeed. Four years ago, House Democrats left Texas for 38 days in protest of new voting restrictions that still wound up passing once the holdout ended. 'We will do whatever it takes. What that looks like, we don't know,' Wu said at a Sunday night news conference. The state of the vote now Lawmakers can't pass bills in the 150-member Texas House without at least two-thirds of them present. Democrats hold 62 of the seats in the majority-Republican chamber and at least 51 left the state, said Josh Rush Nisenson, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus. In addition to those in Illinois, delegations of Democratic lawmakers left Texas for Boston and Albany, New York, among other places, Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer said. Abbott threatened to seek the lawmakers' removal, saying they were not meeting under the state's constitution. 'This truancy ends now,' Abbott said in a statement released by his office Sunday night. Abbott also suggested the lawmakers may have committed felonies by raising money to help pay for fines they'd face. Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the chamber would still meet as planned on Monday afternoon. 'If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table. . .,' he posted on X. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, said on X that Democrats who 'try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.' A refusal by Texas lawmakers to show up is a civil violation of legislative rules. The Texas Supreme Court held in 2021 that House leaders had the authority to 'physically compel the attendance' of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state after warrants were served that year. Two years later, Republicans pushed through new rules that allow daily fines of $500 for lawmakers who don't show up for work as punishment. In calling for the lawmakers' removal, Abbott cited a non-binding legal opinion that was issued by Paxton's office after the 2021 revolt by Democratic lawmakers. The quorum break will also delay votes on flood relief and new warning systems in the wake of last month's catastrophic floods in Texas that killed at least 136 people. Democrats had called for votes on the flooding response before taking up redistricting and have criticized Republicans for not doing so. Texas Republicans last week unveiled their planned new U.S. House map that would create five new Republican-leaning seats. Republicans currently hold 25 of the state's 38 seats. Illinois hosts fleeing Texas lawmakers Pritzker, who has been one of Trump's most outspoken critics during his second term, had been in quiet talks with Texas Democrats for weeks about offering support if they chose to leave the state to break quorum. Last week, the governor hosted several Texas Democrats in Illinois to publicly oppose the redistricting effort, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a similar event in his own state. Pritzker also met privately with Texas Democratic Chair Kendall Scudder in June to begin planning for the possibility that lawmakers would depart for Illinois if they did decide to break quorum to block the map, according to a source with direct knowledge who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. 'This is not just rigging the system in Texas, it's about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come,' Pritzker said Sunday night. Now, with Texas Democrats holed up in Illinois and blocking the Trump-backed congressional map, the stage may be set for a high-profile showdown between Pritzker and the president. Trump is looking to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House just two years into his presidency, and hopes the new Texas map will aid that effort. Trump officials have also looked at redrawing lines in other states, such as Missouri, according to a person familiar with conversations but unauthorized to speak publicly about them. More on Politics Trump's popularity slides in new UMass Amherst poll. Here's how it happened Department of Justice waiting for response on Massachusetts voter data 'We can't let evil win': At Boston summit, state leaders confront political violence Here's who is pushing Trump to upend higher ed — and what they want Boston's Big Wonk Summer: Thousands of lawmakers arrive for annual conference | Bay State Briefing Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Gov. Abbott orders arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled the state
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state's Department of Public Safety to arrest Democratic legislators who failed to appear for a special redistricting session on Monday. State-level Democrats have fled the state to deny the GOP-controlled legislature a quorum as they consider new congressional maps. Abbott's order follows a motion passed by Republicans in Austin that allowed civil arrest warrants to be issued for their colleagues. Abbott asked the DPS to 'locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans' and said the order 'will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol.' Abbott's statement is in line with one issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier in the day. Paxton accused the Democrats of 'a cowardly desertion of their responsibilities as elected officials.' 'These jet-setting runaways abandoned Texas, abdicated their duties in the House, and sacrificed their constituents for a publicity stunt,' Paxton said in a statement.'It's imperative that they be swiftly arrested, punished, and face the full force of the law for turning their backs on the people of Texas.' The arrest warrants and Abbott's order are largely for show. The governor and state police do not have the authority to arrest the absent Democrats, as they have fled to other Texas GOP is pushing a Trump-approved redistricting map that could add five Republican seats to the state's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Redrawing congressional maps in the middle of the decade is extremely unusual, as redistricting typically occurs around the time of the U.S. Census. The draft map packs Democratic voters into more condensed districts while pushing some voters in safely Republican districts into contested areas currently held by Democrats. The Texas Democratic Caucus spent Monday taunting Abbott and frustrated Republicans. When the governor threatened to remove the absent lawmakers from office, the minority party issued a four-word statement: 'Come and take it.' The post Texas Gov. Abbott orders arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled the state appeared first on
New York Times
04-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
The Origins of the Political Power Grab in Texas
The cutthroat political maneuvering in Texas seemed to begin quietly in June, when President Trump's political team urged Republican leaders in the state to squeeze more G.O.P. seats out of the state's already-lopsided congressional map. A person close to Trump, my colleagues J. David Goodman and Shane Goldmacher wrote at the time, wanted them to be 'ruthless.' Barely two months later, Texas Republicans have used a special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott to advance a plan they hope will help their party pick up five seats in the narrowly divided House — and dozens of Democratic legislators have fled the state to try to stop it from becoming law. It's a gambit that could shape the outcome of next year's midterm elections, and turn the nation's redistricting battles into an all-out war. Trump is getting the bare-knuckle tactics — and most likely the five more favorable districts — that he wanted. The groundwork for this moment, however, was laid well before June. Today, I'll explain how we got here, and why Democrats looking to fight fire with fire may have their hands tied. Gerrymandering is nothing new. The term itself goes back to 1812, when Gov. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, signed a bill that created Boston-area State Senate districts so contorted, one was said to look like a salamander. Partisan map-drawing reduced competitiveness, turning more and more races into blowouts for one party or the other. By 2024, just 8 percent of congressional races were decided by fewer than five percentage points, according to an analysis by my colleagues this year. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Al Jazeera
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US Democrats block vote on Trump-backed Texas redistricting map
Democratic state legislators in Texas have blocked a vote on a United States congressional map that favours their Republican rivals by leaving the state, preventing the state House of Representatives from establishing a quorum. The vote could not proceed on Monday afternoon, even as Republican Governor Greg Abbott threatened to remove the fleeing lawmakers from office and suggested that they could face charges. At least 100 legislators in the 150-member chamber needed to be present for the vote to proceed. It is not clear when the next vote will be held. The new redrawn map, backed by President Donald Trump, would give Republicans more safe seats to help them keep their majority in the US House in the midterm elections next year. According to the Texas Tribune newspaper, the Texas House approved in an 85-to-six vote a mostly symbolic measure to track down and arrest more than 50 legislators who left the state. The warrants are only valid in Texas. The controversy in the conservative-leaning state has dominated the political conversation in the country, more than a year ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. Gerrymandering – drawing districts around demographic and socioeconomic lines for partisan reasons – is not uncommon in the US. But Texas appears to have taken the practice to its limits, all but eliminating five seats held by Democrats. 'We're not here to play political games. We're here to demand an end to this corrupt process,' top Texas House Democrat Gene Wu said at a news conference in Illinois on Sunday.
