Governor Abbott orders arrest of absent Texas House Democrats
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday he will try to remove Democratic lawmakers who left the state to block voting on Trump-backed congressional maps.
- This action follows dozens of Democrats fleeing Sunday to Illinois and New York to deny a quorum ahead of a Monday House vote on maps aiming to add five GOP-leaning Texas seats.
- Texas's 150-member House requires two-thirds presence to conduct business, but at least 51 Democrats holding 62 seats left the state, preventing votes and delaying disaster aid after recent catastrophic floods.
- Abbott referenced a 2021 legal opinion from Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton—though not legally binding—to assert that Democrats had lost their legislative seats and might have committed felonies, while Democrats dismissed his claims as baseless distractions without legal merit.
- The dispute escalated nationally with New York Governor Kathy Hochul supporting the Texas Democrats and Democratic governors considering retaliatory map redrawing amid a wider partisan power struggle.
93 Articles
93 Articles
Texas governor orders arrest of Democrats who fled Trump-backed gerrymander stoush
In one of the many American states where partisan gerrymandering is the norm, Democratic lawmakers left Texas to avoid debate on a proposed electoral map. So Republicans issued warrants.
Texas governor orders police to find, arrest Democrats who fled to Illinois over redistricting – ABC7 (Chicago)
The warrants, however, have no power outside state lines and it's unclear to what extent, if at all, Texas law enforcement may and could coordinate with their counterparts in the relevant states.


Texas House speaker signs civil arrest warrants for absconding Democrats
(The Center Square) – After no quorum was reached in the Texas House on Monday, House Speaker Dustin Burrows voted for and signed motions the House passed requiring the return of 56 missing Democrats. This included Burrows signing civil warrants…
Texas governor orders arrest of Democrats who fled state to block redistricting vote
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a vote on a Republican-led redistricting plan. The move follows civil arrest warrants issued after the lawmakers travelled to Illinois to stop the bill, which could give the GOP five more congressional seats.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott Orders Arrest of Democratic Lawmakers. Can He Do That?
Democrats left the state before the Texas House could vote on a new congressional map that would likely grant Republicans more seats in the U.S. HouseTom Fox-Pool/Getty Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2020NEED TO KNOWTexas House Democrats left the state on Sunday to deny quorum, which was required for the State House to pass legislationGov. Greg Abbott ordered the arrest of Texas House Democrats who left the state, and the House Speaker vowed to sign …
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