Democrats could potentially face fines, felonies, and removal from office according to state Republicans.
DALLAS—Texas Democrats defied Gov. Greg Abbott’s call to return to the state for an Aug. 4 hearing on redrawing Congressional lines, setting up a showdown between the two sides.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced that a quorum had not been met after roll call. House members then approved a motion for the Speaker to sign warrants “for the civil arrest of the members who have said they will not be here.”
Democrats had been threatening to leave the state for weeks over the redistricting issue. Beyond a civil arrest warrant, Abbott warned that they could now face removal from office and could face possible felony charges for raising money to help pay for fines they may face.
Here’s what to know about the escalating standoff.
Texas GOP Plans
The fight started when the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent Abbott a July 7 letter raising concerns that four congressional districts in the Houston and Dallas areas were unconstitutional due to “racial gerrymandering.”
Current boundaries run afoul of the Voting Rights Act by relying on racial demographics to group minority voters into “coalition districts” where no single racial group forms a majority, according to the DOJ.
The DOJ pointed to a recent Supreme Court decision requiring states to show a compelling interest to justify such configurations.
After Abbott received the DOJ’s letter, redistricting was added to a list of topics to be addressed during the 30-day special legislative session called by the governor.
The districts in question, TX-09, TX-29, and TX-33, are currently held by Democratic Reps. Al Green, Sylvia Garcia, and Marc Veasey, respectively. The 18th district is currently vacant; it was held by Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee until her death last year.
The map proposed by Republicans to address the DOJ concerns would create five Republican-leaning districts that would also impact districts in San Antonio, Austin, and South Texas.
One example of the impact on Democrats is that the proposed map would combine Austin area districts held by Democratic representatives Lloyd Doggett, of TX-37, and Greg Casar, of the TX-35 District, setting up the potential for a primary contest.
