Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Tuesday he is prepared to seek a court ruling to label House Democrats who have fled the state absent and declare their seats vacant.
"Democrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials," Paxton, a Republican, said in an official statement.
"Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office. The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don't show up to work, you get fired."
In an effort to prevent the Republican-led Texas Legislature from redrawing congressional maps, more than 50 House Democrats left the state on Monday to prevent an official vote from taking place. While Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has threated those absent Democrats with arrest, Paxton has confirmed his office will "seek judicial relief confirming that their office is vacant."
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has said that he will try to establish a quorum again this Friday and that he has signed civil arrest warrants for the absent Democrats. Legal experts have said the move is largely symbolic since the warrants are unlikely to be enforced outside Texas.
Sen. John Cornyn, who is being challenged by Paxton in the 2026 Republican primary for his seat, sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday urging the bureau to take "any appropriate steps" to help law enforcement find or arrest the lawmakers who left the state to deny the state House quorum and prevent it from being able to conduct business.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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