Texas House votes to track down, arrest Democratic lawmakers who left the state

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/04/texas-democrats-house-warrants-arrest-quorum-break/

37 comments

  3. Texas Democrats better stand their ground.. fight the good fight against Abbott’s authoritarianism.

  4. Good luck. Those attempting to make arrests in other states might just find themselves on the wrong side of the law in those states.

  6. Jesus Christ… so sending the House home before the Epstein vote is fine, because who cares if the president of the strongest country in the world is a pedophile?

    But trying to prevent gerrymandering in a single state is a criminal offense? Fuck me this is bad

  7. So kidnapping legislators who are legally in their right to not participate in fascism.

  8. The Texas House voted 85-6 to track down and arrest more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who were not present when the chamber gaveled in at 3 p.m. Monday. 

    House Speaker Dustin Burrows said he would immediately sign civil warrants for each of the legislators, empowering the chamber’s sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to arrest and bring them to the Capitol.

    The House used the same tactic to try to force Democrats back to work in 2021, when a majority of them left for Washington, D.C., to protest GOP voting restrictions. Some of the lawmakers challenged the warrants in court, obtaining an injunction against arrests that was later struck down by the Texas Supreme Court.

    While the Texas Constitution “enables ‘quorum-breaking’ by a minority faction of the legislature, it likewise authorizes ‘quorum-forcing’ by the remaining members,” the court ruled.

    Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican from Fort Worth, laid the groundwork for the warrants by motioning for a “call of the House,” which requires all members to stay within the chamber unless excused. Any members not present can be “sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found,” by the sergeant-at-arms, according to House rules.

    Democrats left the state Sunday afternoon to deny the House a quorum — the number of people necessary for the chamber to advance legislation — and delay passage of a new congressional map.

  9. So how can the house vote on this if there’s not a quorum?

  10. A list of nearly 800 Republican sexual predators can be found here

    https://www.dailykos.com/history/user/CajsaLilliehook

    Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert was indicted on federal charges of structuring bank withdrawals after prosecutors alleged Hastert had molested at least four boys as young as 14 and attempted to compensate his victims and subsequently conceal the transactions. Hastert eventually admitted that he sexually abused the boys whom he had coached decades earlier, and was sentenced to fifteen months in prison.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/us/dennis-hastert-released.html

    Republican Tim Nolan, chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in Kentucky, pled guilty to child sex trafficking and on February 11, 2018 he was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison.

    https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/05/03/former-judge-tim-nolan-could-sentenced-today-more-drama-could-get-way/577947002/

    Republican state Senator Ralph Shortey was indicted on four counts of human trafficking and child pornography. In November 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of child sex trafficking in exchange for the dropping of the other charges.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/11/20/former-oklahoma-state-senator-admits-to-child-sex-trafficking-while-in-office/

    Republican Minnesota State Representative Jim Knoblach Drops Out Of Race After Daughter Says He Molested Her For More Than Ten Years 22 Sep 2018

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/09/22/lawmaker-quits-race-after-daughter-says-he-molested-her-more-than-decade/?utm_term=.8ac8527c7f43

    Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.

    https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/flyer.jsf?personId=28587

    Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

    http://www.lanternproject.org.uk/library/child-abuse-arrests-and-court-cases/child-abuse-arrests-trials-and-proceedings/ex-county-commissioner-admits-sexual-abuse-of-girl/

    Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.

    http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20120426/NEWS90/204260334

    Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Misla_Aldarondo

    Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Giordano

    Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.

    http://archive.easyreadernews.com/archives/news2001/0621/rb%20Shortridge.php

    Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, a notable racist, had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strom_Thurmond

    Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/nyregion/embroiled-first-selectman-takes-leave.html

    Republican Congressman Donald “Buz” Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.

    https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/25/us/teen-ager-in-ohio-testifies-to-sex-with-a-congressman.html

    Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/04/24/gop-activist-admits-to-child-porn/5af2adf0-bec8-4a10-b061-014de679422a/?utm_term=.d7ebcbf4f92b

    Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.

    http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=437

    Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child.

    https://www.westword.com/news/randy-ankeney-suit-that-could-free-thousands-of-prisoners-headed-to-state-supreme-court-6054115

    Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Crane

    Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.

    https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/02/opinion/journal-beverly-russell-s-prayers.html

    Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bauman

    Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.

    http://www.njherald.com/article/20060510/ARTICLE/305109971

    Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. “Republican Marty”), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.

    https://www.arktimes.com/TheHoglawyer/archives/2007/08/28/the-latest-republican-sex-scandals-plural—more-of-the-same

    Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.

    https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/06/us/politics-the-senate-maine-candidate-again-faces-1990-child-sex-accusation.html

    Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.

    http://www.thedp.com/article/2004/01/brother_stephen_convicted_of_soliciting_sex

    Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.

    https://www.houstonpress.com/news/jon-matthews-conservative-talk-show-host-and-sex-offender-pulled-from-kpfts-prison-show-6740755

    Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.

    https://culteducation.com/group/1255-false-memories/6514-man-in-notorious-sex-case-finishes-term.html

    Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.

    https://www.semissourian.com/story/57773.html

    Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.

    https://www.arktimes.com/TheHoglawyer/archives/2007/08/28/the-latest-republican-sex-scandals-plural—more-of-the-same

    Republican politician Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).

    http://www.chattanoogan.com/2002/6/21/23202/Tennessee-Legislator-Commits-Suicide.aspx

    Republican Kentucky state Representative & pastor Dan Johnson, who committed suicide after an exposé revealed his serial lies, suspected arson, criminal church, racism, accused rape of a teen, and more.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Johnson_%28Kentucky_politician%29

  11. “They will not face civil or criminal charges from the arrests. The warrants apply only within state lines, making them largely symbolic as most of the legislators in question decamped to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts to forestall passage of the GOP’s proposed redraw of Texas’ congressional map.”

  12. All Republicans are fascist domestic terrorists who protect pedophiles.

  13. Democrats hold the line! We are supporting y’all!

    Republicans & trump can’t force us to rig the elections for their benefit. This redistricting farce to steal seats away from we the people needs to be stopped.

  15. Zero surprise here. Trashy people with moldy brains. My thoughts and prayers are with them in these trying times. What a horde of dipshits in Texas.

  16. They have no jurisdiction outside of the state of Texas. That’s why the Democrats left the state in the first place.

  17. In Ted Cruz’s state? The guy who flees everytime he should be doing his job?

  18. Wait, didn’t the Dem lawmakers leave so they didn’t have quorum? How did they vote without quorum?

  19. Texas Republicans vote to arrest politicians that left the state to stop a vote essentially making it a one-party state.

    US Republican Congressmen rush out of Washington DC to make sure that rich people (including them) can continue sexually assaulting children at will in perpetuity.

    Not a good look. Your priorities are showing.

  21. TX lawmen can’t do anything outside of Texas. Outside of their jurisdiction.

  22. Protecting pedophiles is more important than protecting democracy. And still, people wont do shit.

  25. Remember republicans loved when they pulled this stunt in Oregon many many times over the years.

  26. Going after Democrats before they go after pedophiles

  27. Lol Fox News just seriously said “of the 5 most gerrymandered districts in the US, two are in Texas and they’re run by DEMOCRATS” as if the democrats were responsible for drawing their individual district

  28. The Republican Party is fubar. They shelter child molesters and arrest citizens breaking no laws.

  30. If you try and arrest someone outside of your jurisdiction, especially in a location where those people are being actively protected, you’re going to end up facing kidnapping charges.

  31. No, they didn’t. It order is not valid outside of Texas and it is simply to bring them back to the house.

    “After dozens of Democrats left the state, the Republican-dominated House was unable to establish the quorum of lawmakers required to do business. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made threats about removing members who are absent from their seats. Democrats counter that Abbott is using “smoke and mirrors” to assert legal authority he does not have.

    The Republican-dominated House quickly issued civil arrest warrants for absent Democrats and Abbott ordered state troopers to help find and arrest them, but lawmakers physically outside Texas are beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities.”

    https://apnews.com/article/us-election-2026-texas-redistricting-136cfeddc717f9fc69337bd3d39b1819

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/texas-democrats-redistricting-vote-arrest-warrants-b2801837.html?utm_source=reddit.com

  32. Didn’t Ted Cruz leave the State twice during deadly natural disasters?

  33. The actual phrasing by the AG was “hunt down”. Let’s not soften their language.

  34. Republicans do this all the time lol

    They ran away to avoid releasing the Epstein files

  35. What about when that one guy left Texas during the natural disasters?

  36. Did they track down Ted Cruz when he left the state during and emergency?

  37. Too bad they don’t channel that energy to track down pedophiles and find who’s hiding the Epstein files.

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