{"id":130361,"date":"2025-08-09T00:15:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T00:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/130361\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T00:15:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T00:15:14","slug":"texas-ag-paxton-seeks-to-oust-tarrant-countys-rep-chris-turner-other-house-dems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/130361\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas AG Paxton seeks to oust Tarrant County\u2019s Rep. Chris Turner, other House Dems"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN \u2014 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday asked the Texas Supreme Court to expel Grand Prairie\u2019s Rep. Chris Turner and 12 other Democratic House members who left Texas to block a redistricting plan.<\/a><\/p>\n

Turner fired back in a statement that he\u2019s upholding his right to aggressively challenge the redistricting plan by breaking a House quorum.<\/p>\n

\u201cKen Paxton is a terrible attorney general, but he is somewhat good at sending campaign press releases masquerading as court filings,\u201d the eight-term House member asserted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Turner elaborated to the Fort Worth Report that Paxton\u2019s actions are laughable. \u201cHe\u2019s running for U.S. Senate, and it\u2019s a campaign press release,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Redrawing Texas\u2019 congressional map<\/a>, supported by President Donald Trump to bolster his Republican majority in the U.S. House, is one of Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s special agenda priorities this summer. State lawmakers must approve new congressional district boundaries.<\/p>\n

More than 50 Democratic Texas House members fled the state on Sunday in a move that derailed a Monday vote on the plan. Only 13 were singled out in Paxton\u2019s suit asking the state\u2019s highest court to vacate their House seats because of continued \u201cunlawful absences\u201d standing in the way of a quorum necessary to conduct business and enact the redistricting plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rogue Democrat legislators who fled the state have abandoned their duties, leaving their seats vacant,\u201d Paxton said in a statement. \u201cThese cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold. Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton wants the Supreme Court to declare that \u201cthe runaway members\u201d officially vacated their offices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir conduct represents a flagrant abandonment of office and a betrayal of the voters who entrusted them with the duty to represent Texans in the legislative chamber,\u201d he said in the statement.<\/p>\n

Two of the four other Democrats in Tarrant County\u2019s Texas House delegation \u2014 Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth and Rep. Ramon Romero of Fort Worth \u2014 joined in the quorum-busting walkout as well. Rep. Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, is out of the country on a family medical emergency but has expressed solidarity with his absentee colleagues.<\/p>\n

Turner, a former chairman of the Texas Democratic Caucus, is among state lawmakers decamped to northern Illinois near Chicago. Others are in New York and California to meet with those governors. Another group went to the Boston area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arrest warrants were issued for all Texas House Democrats<\/a> who fled the state to break quorum with Paxton pursuing legal action for Illinois officials<\/a> to enforce the warrants in that state.<\/p>\n

Turner said he did not know why he was named in the lawsuit when other absentee members weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

In the court filing, Paxton noted each of the 13 members \u201creleased a public statement admitting that the purpose and intent of the absences is to disrupt the work of the House.\u201d<\/p>\n

One member was quoted as saying the departure means that \u201cthe special session is over\u201d and that members \u201cwill do everything in their power\u201d to prevent a quorum, according to the suit. Consequently, the attorney general alleges that the actions \u201caim to prevent the Legislature from exercising the legislative power conferred on it by the Texas Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aug. 8: This story was updated to include details from the suit.<\/p>\n

Dave Montgomery is an Austin-based freelance reporter for the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n

The Fort Worth Report\u2019s Texas legislative coverage is supported by Kelly Hart<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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