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3d ago

Texas Republicans Press Lawsuits to Strip Seats From Boycotting Democrats

Republicans are seeking court orders to remove absent lawmakers in hopes of securing a quorum for their Trump-backed mid-decade map by Friday.

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.
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Overview

  • Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said lawmakers will reconvene Friday at 2 p.m. CDT after a Department of Public Safety briefing, delaying the redistricting vote.
  • Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he will ask a court to declare vacant the seats of Democrats who refuse to return, and Gov. Greg Abbott has petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to oust Rep. Gene Wu.
  • More than 50 Texas House Democrats remain in Illinois, New York and Massachusetts, where civil arrest warrants and $500-per-day fines are largely unenforceable without state cooperation.
  • President Trump suggested the FBI may need to intervene to enforce Texas warrants, and Senator John Cornyn formally requested federal assistance to bring back the absent lawmakers.
  • Democratic governors in California, Illinois and New York have threatened their own mid-cycle congressional redraws in response to Texas’s plan, fueling a national redistricting standoff.