Overview
- More than 50 Texas Democratic representatives fled to Illinois, depriving the House of the 100-member quorum needed to vote on the new congressional map.
- The GOP-backed plan targets four majority-minority districts cited by the Justice Department and aims to produce five additional Republican-leaning U.S. House seats.
- Republican officials have issued civil arrest warrants, imposed $500 daily fines and threatened seat forfeiture to compel the absent lawmakers’ return.
- Democrats portray their walkout as a moral stand to protect communities of color and prevent partisan mapmaking from undermining electoral fairness.
- Governors J.B. Pritzker in Illinois and Kathy Hochul in New York have provided refuge and support, highlighting the national stakes of the Texas showdown.