This is not the first time that Democrats in the Texas legislature have pulled these shenanigans – In 2021 and 2003.

In May 2003, as the Republican-led legislature prepared to convene, it became clear that almost all the House Democrats were gone. More than 50 House Democrats had fled to a motel in Ardmore, Oklahoma to delay a Republican-backed redistricting plan.

Their departure prevented the legislature from reaching a quorum, and although Republican leaders authorized the Texas Rangers to arrest them, the Democrats remained outside the state until the legislative deadline passed. The redistricting plan they opposed was ultimately enacted after they returned.

Similarly, in 2021, Democrats left Texas for Washington, D.C., to block an elections bill, delaying but not preventing its eventual passage.

RED STATE

The next shoe dropped on Monday in the case of Texas Democrat legislators fleeing to Illinois and New York to deny a quorum, and now a motion to approve arrest warrants has been passed.

Governor “Hot Wheels” Strikes Back!

As RedState reported, 51 Texas Democrats left the state on Sunday in an attempt to stop Republicans from passing a redistricting plan that would conceivably gain the GOP five congressional seats. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) had been spearheading the plan as a way to combat the gerrymandering in states like California, where an “independent commission” drew lines that gave Democrats 83 percent of the seats despite their vote totals coming in far lower.

Notably, even under Texas’ newly-proposed map, Democrats would still hold a larger percentage of seats there than Republicans do in California. The same is true for Illinois, one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. Yet, Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) has ironically tried to position himself as a freedom fighter on this issue, helping hatch the plan for Texas Democrats to flee to his state, and no doubt helping fund it as well. Someone paid for the private jet they flew on and all the meals and hotels, and it wasn’t State Rep. Gene Wu (D-TX) or State Rep. Sheryl Cole (D-TX).

What the motion does is authorize arrest warrants for the members who have abandoned their seats while charging the Sergeant at Arms to enforce them. Abbott responded to the passing of the arrest warrants immediately, issuing an order to the Texas Department of Public Safety to track down the Democrats in question and return them to the House chamber to force a quorum.

[. . .]

In 2021, when Texas Democrats pulled this same stunt, they eventually returned of their own volition to provide the quorum, avoiding arrest. Frankly, if I were Abbott, I wouldn’t be that kind this time around. The moment they set foot back in the state, he should have them arrested regardless of whether they are pledging to return to the chamber. The time to make an example of them is now, or this will just keep happening every few years when a contentious issue comes up.

The bigger threat is still hanging out there, though, which is vacating the seats of the Democrats who fled. The Texas State Constitution has a provision addressing “abandonment” by members of the legislature. That process wouldn’t be immediate and would require legal battles, but all roads are worth exploring at this point. Whatever happens, this can’t be allowed to stand. If that means continuing to call 30-day special sessions indefinitely, essentially exiling these Democrats until they capitulate, then so be it. Meanwhile, the fines are racking up for them as well.