The Texas Supreme Court voided a lower court’s temporary restraining order that blocked the Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s authority to arrest and detain the Democratic representatives who fled the state for D.C. in July.
Phelan and Gov. Greg Abbott had asked the court to step in on Monday to overturn the protection order for the lawmakers who broke quorum over a GOP voting bill, arguing the Texas constitution grants the House the right to compel “the attendance of its members.”
In a statement, Abbott’s office celebrated the state Supreme Court issuing a stay of Travis County State District Judge Brad Urrutia’s order.
“The Supreme Court of Texas swiftly rejected this dangerous attempt by Texas Democrats to undermine our Constitution and avoid doing the job they were elected to do," Abbott’s office said. "We look forward to the Supreme Court upholding the rule of law and stopping another stall tactic by the Texas Democrats."
While a handful of Democrats have already come back to Austin, more than two dozen remain in D.C., with some vowing to continue the fight.
“It is no surprise that Republican Governor Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan want to arrest their political opponents. Thankfully, this is still the United States of America. We will defend the freedom to vote, and we look forward to our temporary injunction hearing on August 20th,” Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer, Gina Hinojosa, and Jasmine Crockett said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Abbott announced last week another special legislative session that started on Saturday, with a 17-item agenda that includes the voting bill.