Overview

• Over 50 Texas House Democrats flew to Chicago on August 3 to break the two-thirds quorum needed to advance the GOP redistricting bill
• Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session included a mid-decade congressional map backed by President Trump designed to net Republicans up to five additional U.S. House seats
• Absent Democrats face fines of $500 per day, arrest warrants under House rules, potential removal from office
• Texas Republicans are weighing counter-sessions, legal actions, deployment of the Texas Department of Public Safety to compel lawmakers’ return
• Legal challenges are expected, with GOP maps facing Voting Rights Act scrutiny, blue-state governors backing Democrats’ blockade