By Aldgra Fredly
Contributing Writer
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking the removal of state House Democratic chair Rep. Gene Wu after dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled the state to block a Republican-backed redistricting vote.
The Texas House requires two-thirds of its 150 members to be present to pass legislation. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers left the state on Sunday in a bid to block the Republicans’ congressional redistricting plan.
In a statement, Abbott said he had previously issued a formal statement warning of potential action against the House Democrats if they failed to appear when the House reconvened on Monday.
Despite his earlier warning, Abbott stated that Wu and several other Democratic lawmakers have not returned to the state and continued to break quorum.
“Representative Wu and the other Texas House Democrats have shown a willful refusal to return, and their absence for an indefinite period of time deprives the House of the quorum needed to meet and conduct business on behalf of Texans,” he stated.
“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans, and there must be consequences,” the governor added.
Abbott said he had filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court of Texas to remove Wu from office, calling him “the ringleader” of the Democratic lawmakers who left the state.
In his court filing, Abbott argued that Wu’s actions amounted to “an abandonment of office,” which he said could be grounds for forfeiting the state representative’s seat in the House.
“Absconding from the State during a constitutionally mandated session, not for lawful cause, but for the very purpose of subverting the Legislature’s ability to function, constitutes a flagrant violation of Wu’s oath and is an intentional abandonment of his constitutional duty under Article III, Section 5,” the suit stated.
Wu issued a statement reaffirming his commitment to serving the people of Texas, noting that his actions stem from a purpose “to serve my constituents and fight for what’s right, no matter what the cost.”
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder defended the actions of Wu and the other Democratic lawmakers and accused Abbott of “weaponizing the courts” for political purposes.
“It is a complete violation of the separation of powers for the governor of this state to think he has the authority to unilaterally remove duly elected officials simply because he disagrees with them using constitutionally protected procedural safeguards,” Scudder said in a statement.
On Sunday, a number of Democrats fled to states such as Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, where they held press conferences with blue state leaders, who vowed to counter the Republicans’ congressional redistricting proposal. That same day, Wu posted on X that he was “on the ground in Chicago” and “fighting for the rights of Texans and all Americans.”
Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows said on Tuesday that state troopers were searching for Democrats who broke quorum for the second day to derail a GOP plan to redraw its congressional map.
Burrows said the state Department of Public Safety was actively working to compel their attendance after he signed their civil arrest warrants, and “will continue to do so until those members are back in this chamber.”
Darlene McCormick Sanchez contributed to this report.