Texas Attorney General Paxton will ask courts to vacate Democratic lawmakers' seats [View all]

Attorney General Ken Paxton will ask for a court ruling declaring vacant the seats of any lawmakers who are not back to work by Friday, he said in a press release Tuesday.

At least 50 House Democrats have left the state to prevent the chamber from having quorum — the minimum number of people necessary to undertake legislative business — in an effort to delay the passage of a new congressional map. The unusual mid-decade redistricting effort comes after President Donald Trump pushed for a new map aiming to net five additional GOP seats in the upcoming midterm elections.

Democrats left the state Sunday afternoon, ahead of a Monday vote to advance the bill. House Speaker Dustin Burrows signed arrest warrants, directing the sergeant-at-arms and the Department of Public Safety to find and bring members to the chamber. Those warrants are only enforceable within state lines.

On Tuesday, the chamber once again was six votes short of quorum, and Burrows adjourned until Friday at 1 p.m.




https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-democrats-ken-paxton-court-vacate-seats-quorum-break/