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yesterday

Texas Republicans Move to Enforce Arrest Warrants as Democrats Hold Quorum Break

Texas House leaders have issued arrest warrants, threatened to declare seats vacant; deployed state troopers in a bid to force absent Democrats back for a vote on a Trump-backed mid-decade map.

Many seats remain empty during the House's call to order at the state Capitol on August 5 in Austin, Texas.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a news conference in Chicago with Texas Democrats on August 5, 2025.
Republican Governor-elect Mike Kehoe takes the stage before his acceptance speech on election night Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at the Capital Bluffs Event Center in Jefferson City, Mo.

Overview

  • Over 50 Texas House Democrats fled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts to deny Republicans a two-thirds quorum and stall the special session on mid-decade redistricting.
  • Republican leaders authorized civil arrest warrants for absent lawmakers, imposed $500 daily fines and directed state troopers to locate and return them to Austin.
  • Attorney General Ken Paxton announced plans to seek court orders declaring seats vacant for any Democrat who fails to appear by Friday’s deadline.
  • Senator John Cornyn has appealed to the FBI for assistance in enforcing warrants and bringing back lawmakers at President Trump’s request.
  • Democratic governors in California, New York and Illinois have signaled they will pursue their own mid-cycle map redraws to offset any GOP gains from Texas’s plan.