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Abbott Issues Civil Arrest Warrants and Fines as Texas Democrats Defy Quorum

More than 50 House Democrats are sheltering in blue states to block a Trump-backed mid-decade congressional map during a special session

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Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett speaks in front of Democratic members of Congress and Texas House Democrats during a news conference, after they left their state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, at IBEW Local Union 701 on August 4, 2025 in Warrenville, Illinois.

Overview

  • Over 50 Texas House Democrats remain in Illinois, New York and Massachusetts to deny Republicans the two-thirds quorum needed to advance a redistricting plan expected to net the GOP up to five additional U.S. House seats.
  • Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to serve civil arrest warrants on absent lawmakers and imposed $500-a-day fines for each day they stay away from the Capitol.
  • Dozens of Democrats held a protest outside the Governor’s Mansion in Austin on Monday to oppose threats of removal from office and raise alarms over the proposed map’s impact on Black and Latino communities.
  • Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is hosting the exiled legislators at no cost and has said a mid-decade Illinois remap is possible, backed by the DNC’s offer of legal and logistical support.
  • In the Texas Senate, State Sen. Phil King filed an identical congressional map and scheduled committee hearings for this week as Republicans press ahead despite the quorum blockade.