Texas Democrats flee state, Republicans issue arrest warrants in redistricting fight
Arrest warrants issued as Texas Democrats flee state
Texas House Democrats held a press conference on Monday to explain their decision to break quorum and leave the state, while Republicans issued civil arrest warrants for the absent lawmakers in an attempt to compel their return.
In the press conference earlier today, Texas House Democrats remained a united front in the decision to break quorum.
Meanwhile, back in Austin, House Republicans were all set to start the debate on the new redistricting maps.
Instead, they issued arrest warrants for all the Democratic members that were not present.
What we know:
The standoff between Texas House Republicans and Democrats intensified on Monday afternoon when more than 50 Democrats did not show up. Preventing the house from reaching quorum.
Republican leaders say this walkout stalls other legislation like flood relief, and while this is true, no bill for flood relief has been put up for debate yet.
Texas Democrats argue that the proposed maps would suppress minority voters.
"My community is a majority minority district, and so when we do these kinds of, play political games that Republicans want to play with our communities, it hurts people like mine in my district," said Texas House Rep. Jessica Gonzalez.
Dig deeper:
Republican house leaders issued civil arrest warrants for the members who were not present.
"I have signed the civil arrest warrants, we will work with DPS to locate members," said Texas House Speaker and State Rep. Dustin Burrows.
These warrants are only active within state lines and one way to avoid this is by fleeing the state. Democrat representatives are currently spread out across Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts.
Local perspective:
Governor Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Safety to assist in the arrests. He also mentioned the possibility of removing members who vacate their office.
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Gov. Abbott orders arrest of Texas Democrats in legislative standoff
Texas Democrats have fled the state to block a vote on a new redistricting map. Gov. Abbott has ordered their arrest, stalling critical legislation and raising legal questions.
The legality of doing so is still unclear.
When asked if he agrees with the governor, house speaker Dustin Burrows didn't give a direct answer.
"You have asked me a legal question, and as a lawyer, I try not to give legal answers without knowing all the facts and the law," said Burrows.
What they're saying:
SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson says removing lawmakers from their seats would be unprecedented.
"I don't think the governor wants to do that unless he feels like this is just never ending, and his hand is forced, but that would be a huge escalation of this process," said Wilson.
Members who break quorum also face a fine of 500 dollars a day for being absent after republican leaders passed a rule in 2023.
"Now, the governor has talked about trying to charge Democrats who accept money from donors to pay for their fines with felony bribery. Now, that would be a different ballgame if that were to happen. Then they could make extradition requests to these out-of-state law enforcement jurisdictions," said Wilson.
Wilson says if it came down to arresting state representatives, it's unknown if law enforcement in Democratic states like Illinois and New York would cooperate.
The backstory:
Texas Democrats stood in solidarity on Monday evening in Chicago to address the nation about their plans for breaking quorum.
President Trump has previously said he wants to add five Republican seats to maintain the Republicans' slim U.S. House majority.
The proposed maps show Democrats could lose seats in North Texas, Houston, Austin, and South Texas.
Proposed Texas redistricting map would drastically shift Democrat-held seats
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he would like to gain five congressional seats through a midterm redistricting effort in the state.
When Democrats broke quorum in 2021, it lasted nearly five weeks before representatives returned, and legislation passed.
What's next:
The special session ends on August 19th.
Governor Abbott will likely call an additional special session, and the 30-day clock restarts.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Amelia Jones.