BREAKING NEWS: Texas Supreme Court rules runaway Democrats CAN be arrested after returning from D.C. if they don't show up for GOP session on voting bill
The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that state Democrats can be arrested if they fail to show up for the Republican's session on voting rights.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed to arrest more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who left the state on July 12, denying the state House of Representatives the quorum required to approve the voting legislation on his special-session agenda.
On Sunday, Texas District Judge Brad Urrutia issued a temporary restraining order in a case filed by 19 Texas House Democrats against Abbott, challenging the state's power to arrest them for political purposes, the Washington Post reported.
Texas is among several Republican-led states pursuing new voting restrictions in the name of enhancing election security.
Former President Donald Trump has claimed falsely that the presidential election last November was stolen from him through widespread fraud.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that state Democrats can be arrested if they fail to show up for the Republican's session on voting rights
The 29-day stand-off inched closer to ending Monday as several holdouts returned and put Republicans on the brink of having the 100 lawmakers required to to meet quorum and push forward once again with the proposed election overhaul.
The Texas House of Representatives is now just five members shy of a quorum that would end the stalemate - which has started to weaken as more Democrats who fled to Washington last month begin shuffling back into the state Capitol, believing their point has been made as they also feel the strain of a long absence away from home.
The house had as many as 95 members on Monday afternoon, including at least four new Democrats - El Paso-area state Reps. Art Fierro, Mary González and Joe Moody, as well as state Rep. James Talarico of Round Rock, according to the Texas Tribune.
Democratic State Rep. James Talarico announced his arrival to the lone-star state on Twitter. 'I'm home!', Talarico wrote on Monday with a picture of him smiling and standing next to a Round Rock city limit sign.
'Our quorum break shined a national spotlight on the TX voter suppression bill and pushed Congress closer to passing a federal voting rights act to override it. I'm confident they will,' he added. 'Now I'm back to clean up Greg Abbott's latest messes from COVID to ERCOT.'
'Since the beginning of the quorum break, I have been very honest about our options in Texas - we don't have many. This is by design,' Talarico said in addition to his message on Twitter. 'Under one-party rule: democracy suffers.'
Democratic State Rep. James Talarico announced his arrival to the lone-star state on Twitter (pictured). 'I'm home!', Talarico wrote on Monday with a picture of him smiling and standing next to a Round Rock city limit sign
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (pictured in May, file photo) - a Republican - threatened to arrest the lawmakers when they eventually return to the Lone Star state after they packed onto private jets and flew to the nation's capitol on July 12
Other Texas Democrats remain in Washington, some of whom lashed out at their former fellow holdouts who returned to the Capitol.
But the group that is staying behind - which last weekend was less than half the more than 50 Democrats who originally fled to Washington - is not large enough to keep denying the Legislature a quorum.
Rep. Gina Hinojosa, one of the lawmakers named as a plaintiff in the motion that successfully led to the restraining order, called out the four Democrats who participated in Monday's session.
'For transparency purposes it is important to note that the following Democrats are on the Floor now & no longer breaking quorum,' she said while 'tagging' Talarico, González, Moody and Fierro.
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