Overview

• The court merged Gov. Greg Abbott’s suit against Rep. Gene Wu with AG Ken Paxton’s case targeting 13 Democrats who fled Texas to block redistricting.
• Under the expedited timeline, Abbott must file his opening brief by August 20, opposing lawyers must respond by August 29 and any reply is due September 4.
• Opponents note that expelling a member requires a two-thirds House vote and that no Texas or U.S. court has ever removed a legislator for breaking quorum.
• Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows have said they will end the special session Friday if Democrats remain absent and immediately call new sessions until the map passes.
• The schedule pushes resolution past key election-administration deadlines and into federal DOJ voting-rights reviews, raising stakes in the mid-cycle redistricting battle.