Texas Legislative Crisis Deepens: Paxton Sues to Remove Fleeing Democrats
Texas Legislative Crisis Deepens: Paxton Sues to Remove Fleeing Democrats
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has escalated the ongoing legislative standoff, filing a lawsuit with the Texas Supreme Court on Friday to remove 13 state House Democrats who fled the state to block a Republican-led redistricting session. This action follows a missed 1 p.m. Friday deadline for absent Democrats to return, which prevented the House from reaching a quorum.
Paxton’s suit targets specific members, including State Reps. Ron Reynolds, Vikki Goodwin, Gina Hinojosa, James Talarico, Lulu Flores, Mihaela Plesa, Suleman Lalani, Chris Turner, Ana-Maria Ramos, Jessica Gonzalez, John Bucy III, Christina Morales, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu. He asserts that their refusal to return and public statements constitute a dereliction of duty, echoing a similar lawsuit filed by Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday.
Democrats’ attorney Chad Dunn quickly condemned the suits as an “unconstitutional” assault on the separation of powers, arguing only the Texas House holds authority to discipline its members. Meanwhile, House Speaker Dustin Burrows confirmed Friday that civil warrants issued earlier this week remain active, with the FBI and Texas troopers actively searching for the legislators over the weekend to compel their return to the chamber.
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