Texas legislative standoff continues, flurry of lawsuits flung at state House Democrats protesting redistricting proposal
A political showdown is playing out between Texas Republicans and Democrats over redistricting mid-decade. This fight has nationwide implications over the balance of power in Congress in next year's elections and beyond.
Speaker Dustin Burrows has scheduled a House session at 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11. The Texas House failed to meet quorum for the third time on Friday, with only 95 lawmakers present. The House needs 100 members in attendance to make quorum so they can vote on new Congressional maps in Texas that would give Republicans five extra seats, at the expense of Democrats.
Most of the Democrats flew to other states, meeting with Democratic Governors in Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and California on Friday. They want those states, which are run by Democrats, to change their Congressional maps too, to neutralize Republicans' efforts in Texas to gain more seats in Congress.
Republican State Representative Jeff Leach of Allen expressed his frustration, saying, "It absolutely bothers me. It bothers the people of Texas, too. I wish it bothered our Democrat colleagues more that they seem to be spending more time in blue states like Illinois, New York and now California, um, then they are here in the state of Texas, where they're required to show up for work."
"We had had long discussions about this prior to us, leaving prior to us, breaking quorum," State Representative and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu told Jack Fink. "We are under no illusion about how dangerous this could be and what risk it holds for all of us. But we are all doing this because we love our state, because we value the people in it, and because we are tired of watching the corruption that has invaded our system. We are doing this to save the state."
Attempts to remove Democrats from office
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an emergency lawsuit with the Texas Supreme Court on Friday to have 13 House Democrats removed from office. This includes four Democrats from North Texas: Ana Maria Rodriguez Ramos, Jessica Gonzalez, and Mihaela Plesa, all of Dallas, and Chris Turner of Grand Prairie.
"This is just more bluster and rhetoric from Abbott, Paxton," said Turner. "My democratic colleagues and I are fulfilling our legislative duties by exercising our right to break quorum and stop consideration of this discriminatory redistricting map."
Earlier last week, Governor Abbott filed an emergency petition with the Texas Supreme Court to remove State Representative Gene Wu of Houston. He's the House Democratic Caucus Chairman who is leading Democrats on this quorum break. The Governor called him the "ringleader of the derelict Democrats." Wu filed his response with the Texas Supreme Court on Friday, Aug. 8.
Republican State Representative, Katrina Pierson, of Rockwall, posted on social media that she agreed with the Governor's actions. She told Jack in an interview, "We are constitutionally required to be here. So pulling political sense like that is not representing your districts, because again, you have buttons on your desk. That is your voice for your people. So this is upended. All kinds of things like property, taxes and flood victim relief. And these guys are fleeing for political purposes, and there should be accountability."
Republican leaders ask for assistance in finding absent Democrats
At the Texas Capitol, Speaker Dustin Burrows signed civil arrest warrants for all of the Democratic lawmakers who left the state. Burrows also met with Texas DPS leaders, and DPS went actively searching for House Democrats who may still have been in Texas, to bring them back to the Capitol so they could reach quorum.
In addition to that, for the first time, the Speaker asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to help them bring the lawmakers who went to Chicago home. Paxton sent Illinois a request to serve the civil arrest warrants and said he will do the same for other states. Senator John Cornyn said he requested assistance from FBI Director Kash Patel, and that the FBI agreed to help Texas locate the House Democrats who left Texas.
Speaker Burrows also told House Democrats that if they left the Capitol to break quorum, they would have to pick up their paychecks in person - they could no longer get direct deposit - until they return to the Capitol.
Paxton targets Texas Majority PAC and Beto O'Rourke-linked group
The Attorney General filed a lawsuit against former Congressman Beto O'Rourke and his organization, Powered by People in Tarrant County Court. Paxton accused O'Rourke and his group of illegal fundraising to pay for Democrats to leave Texas to break quorum. O'Rourke said Paxton wants to make examples out of those who fight so that others won't. The court issued a temporary restraining order against O'Rourke and Powered by People late Friday afternoon.
North Texas representatives react to proposed redistricting changes
When looking at the current Congressional Districts in Texas, there are 25 seats held by Republicans and 13 seats held by Democrats. When looking at the new statewide map of the new districts drawn by Texas Republican lawmakers two Democratic seats from South Texas, one from Houston, one from Austin, and one from North Texas expected to be won by Republicans. In North Texas, there are currently three districts held by Democrats but under the new map, there would be only two seats held by Democrats.
The existing 32nd Congressional District largely in Dallas County is represented by Democrat Julie Johnson. Under the changes, the 32nd Congressional district would become Republican and extend to far east Texas.
"I just think the whole process is really unfortunate and terrible that the Republicans are marching down this road," Johnson said in an interview with Jack Fink. "They're having a desperate attempt to try to alienate and marginalize voters. And I was very disappointed to see what they're doing...we're focusing on killing the maps, and we're focusing on making sure that the scheme that the Republicans have to try to steal some seats doesn't actually ultimately happen, and that is the sole source of my focus."
The existing 33rd Congressional seat is held by Democrat Marc Veasey and is in Tarrant and Dallas Counties. Under the new map, this seat would only be in Dallas County. Veasey lives in Tarrant County and while this would still be a Democratic seat, it would become a majority Latino district. "Obviously, that is a little problematic for me," Veasey told Jack. "I'm going to be looking at all options as far as which Congressional district I can run in, so I'm not taking anything off the table."
"I'm focused in on this fight. I'm trying to push back against this discrimination that the Republicans have put into this map this blatant discrimination. I'm worried about the neighborhood...And you know, while I get along well with my Republican colleagues that would represent parts of East Fort Worth. They're not going to want to represent the community. They're never going to be seen."
Republican Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne represents the 24th Congressional District in North Texas. She supports the newly drawn maps and states that Democrats are crying foul over the mid-term redistricting push. "For them to raise up their hands and get upset with the state of Texas for playing by their rules is dishonest, disingenuous and hypocritical," said Van Duyne. She acknowledged there would be minor changes to her district if the proposed maps are approved.