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 triggered cascading actions by both parties nationwide to redraw voting maps ahead of the upcoming midterm elections: Republicans, encouraged by Trump, seek to maintain their slim Congressional majority while Democrats aim to counter these moves.
These efforts intensified following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that further weakened the Voting Rights Act, eliminating the consideration of race in how congressional and other districts are drawn.
Despite Abbott's arguments that the fleeing lawmakers had effectively abandoned their duties, the court's opinion noted they had resolved the issue themselves, as the Democrats eventually returned within a few weeks.
Justice James Blacklock stated in the ruling, “In the end, a quorum was restored in two weeks’ time, without judicial intervention, by the interplay of political and practical forces.” He added that the courts do not intervene in disputes that can be resolved by the legislative branch.
If the situation arises again, the court may reconsider whether to step in, the opinion indicated. Wu stated, “When Greg Abbott threatened to arrest and expel us for denying him a quorum, we told him he should ‘come and take it.’ He tried!”
Ultimately, the map was passed and signed into law by Abbott after the lawmakers returned to Texas.
The Texas Constitution mandates that at least 100 of the 150 House members must be present to conduct business, and the quorum break effectively halted a special legislative session prompted by Abbott to address redistricting and other matters.
Texas has a historical pattern of legislative walkouts; the recent Democratic exit was the third since 2003, aimed at stalling votes on controversial issues. In both past instances, Democrats returned, with the Republican majority ultimately enacting the measures into law.
