Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking judicial orders that would declare Texas House Democrats have forfeited their offices if they flee the state and fail to appear by the Speaker’s deadline. Paxton's bold move exemplifies that these Democrat lawmakers are not above the law.
On Tuesday, Paxton announced he would seek judicial orders for the state Democrats who have fled the state in a bid to deny Republicans a quorum and thereby prevent a redistricting effort expected to favor Republicans. In a statement, Paxton condemned the Texas House Democrats who fled the state, calling their actions a cowardly abandonment of duty and a betrayal of their constituents. He accused them of engaging in a publicity stunt, vowing to use every legal tool available to hold them accountable, including arrest and punishment, emphasizing that no lawmaker is above the law.
Paxton has ordered the rogue Democrats to return to Texas and appear before the House by Speaker Dustin Burrows’ August 8 deadline. He warned that any lawmaker who fails to comply, or has not already been arrested and brought back, will face swift and aggressive legal action.
“Instead of showing up to work and doing the jobs they were elected to do, House Democrat members have fled the state in a cowardly desertion of their responsibilities as elected officials." Paxton wrote. "These jet-setting runaways abandoned Texas, abdicated their duties in the House, and sacrificed their constituents for a publicity stunt,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I am prepared to do everything in my power to hold them accountable because these liberal lawmakers are not above the law. It’s imperative that they be swiftly arrested, punished, and face the full force of the law for turning their backs on the people of Texas.”
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🚨BREAKING: I will seek judicial orders declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker’s deadline have vacated their office.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 5, 2025
The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired. pic.twitter.com/yyPWavY38P
State legislators have voted to order the sergeant at arms to return the Democrats to the legislature under the authority of an arrest warrant. This comes as Republicans are expected to add as many as five GOP-leaning districts, which could prove a pivotal development for the midterm elections in 2026.
In 2021, Paxton’s office won a Texas Supreme Court ruling that allowed the House to arrest absent members to restore quorum. The decision laid the legal groundwork for locating and returning lawmakers to the Capitol.
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