Texas House Speaker Signs Arrest Warrants For Fugitive Democratic Lawmakers - NPR

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Republican Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, seen here, and Gov. Greg Abbott brought the suit against House Democrats to the Supreme Court. Eric Gay/AP

Eric Gay/AP

Remember when protesting Texas House Democrats abandoned the state Capitol then fled the state to Washington, D.C., to block proposed voting restrictions during a special session?

Well, major developments late Tuesday mean they might not be able to escape the long arm of the law for much longer.

Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan signed off on dozens of civil arrest warrants for Democrats late Tuesday, after a majority of the remaining representatives in the chamber voted to authorize this step, The Dallas Morning News first reported.

The move came hours after a ruling by the all-Republican state Supreme Court that said law enforcement can round-up rogue legislators and bring them back to the state Capitol's House Chambers. The state Supreme Court's decision undid an earlier lower court ruling that said lawmakers couldn't be arrested.

The 52 warrants seeking the arrest of the fugitive Democrats will be delivered to the House sergeant-at-arms on Wednesday, according to Phelan's spokesman Enrique Marquez who spoke to The Dallas Morning News.

Critically, it wouldn't take many arrests for the House to return to business, the newspaper reported. A quorum is reached when two-thirds of the 150 members are in the chamber. Since Monday, 96 House members have recorded themselves as present, leaving it just four votes short of a quorum.

On Monday, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa called out Democrats that had returned to the chamber and urged her party colleagues still absent to stay away.

"Quorum is still not met. Praying no other Democrats willingly go to Floor," she tweeted.

If the Democrats are successful in denying the House its quorum, Republicans could be forced to end their second 30-day special session without voting on any bills.

Tensions flare up in both parties

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The U.S. and Texas state flags fly outside the state Capitol building on July 12, 2021 in Austin, Texas. Sergio Flores/Getty Images

Sergio Flores/Getty Images

This protracted battle started when Democrats fled the state last month in order to deny the chamber a quorum that would allow the legislature the ability to vote on Senate Bill 7. The proposal, which had appeared poised for passage, would cut back polling hours and reduce access to mail-in voting.

Democrats and voting rights advocates say those and other provisions of the bill would make voting more difficult in Texas and could disproportionately burden people of color.

Texas Republicans maintain the bill is meant to re-enforce election integrity, but there's been no evidence of significant voter fraud in the state or elsewhere.

Some members headed to Washington, D.C. to avoid returning to Austin and lobbied for federal voting reforms while there. A federal bill would limit the state's ability to enact local legislation.

Many Texas Democrats remain defiant against efforts to bring them back. But after a month away from Austin, reports indicate that solidarity among members of the party has begun to fray.

Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos tweeted a picture Monday of state Rep. James Talarico and other Democrats on the floor of the House and said: "You all threw us under the bus today! Why?"

At least one member of the Republican Party in Texas this week objected to the direction his colleagues were heading.

State Rep. Lyle Larson tweeted after the chamber voted to arrest his Democratic colleagues: "Have we got to the point where we believe our own bull shizz so much that we arrest our own colleagues. Civil discourse took a nasty turn today."

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Texas House Speaker Signs Arrest Warrants For Fugitive Democratic Lawmakers - NPR
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