In brief
The Texas Supreme Court rejected Governor Greg Abbott's claim that Democratic lawmakers who temporarily fled the state to block a congressional vote had vacated their offices. The court emphasized that the legislature resolved the situation on its own without the need for judicial intervention. The case highlights the ongoing political battles over redistricting and legislative power in Texas as both parties prepare for upcoming elections.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday refused to declare that Democratic lawmakers who briefly fled the state in 2025 to block a vote on new congressional maps pushed by President Donald Trump had vacated their office.
The all-Republican court dealt a blow to Gov. Greg Abbott and state Republicans in their efforts to severely punish the more than 50 Democrats who bolted for New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts in a bid to stop a vote on the maps during a special session.
The Texas redistricting effort kick-started cascading efforts by both parties across the country to redraw voting maps ahead of this year’s midterm elections: Republicans, pushed by Trump, seek to hold their slim majority in Congress as Democrats try to counter them.
Those efforts have gained new intensity after the U.S. Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act by no longer allowing race to be considered in how congressional and other districts are drawn.
In Texas, Abbott had argued in a lawsuit filed directly to the state’s highest civil court that state Rep. Gene Wu, the leader of the House Democratic caucus, and others had effectively abandoned their office.
If successful, they hoped to wield a new hammer to threaten lawmakers considering any future quorum breaks. Wu had argued that he was not abandoning his office, but was exercising a right to dissent.
In denying Abbott’s request, the court opinion noted that the Republican-majority Legislature had adequately resolved the problem itself through measures such as fines against the missing lawmakers, and it noted they eventually returned on their own within a few weeks.
“In the end, a quorum was restored in two weeks’ time, without judicial intervention, by the interplay of political and practical forces,” Blacklock wrote. “Courts have uniformly recognized that it is not their role to resolve disputes between the other two branches that those branches can resolve for themselves.”
Wu and the other lawmakers eventually returned to Texas, and the new map was passed and signed into law by Abbott. Wu argued that because he had returned and the map was eventually signed into law, there was no longer any reason for the court to weigh in.
The court also indicated that if lawmakers leave again, the governor will bring the same issue back to the court, according to Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris. “No elected official has the right to abandon their duties, flee the state and shut down the people’s business,” he stated.
The state constitution requires that at least 100 of the 150 House members be present to conduct business, and the quorum break effectively shut down a special legislative session Abbott had called to address redistricting and other issues. Thus, the Texas Supreme Court's ruling plays a pivotal role in the ongoing legislative dynamics in Texas.
