Texas AG Files Lawsuits to Remove 13 Democrats, Block Fundraising Amid Redistricting Fight

Texas Republicans, led by Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, have escalated legal efforts to remove Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a GOP-backed redistricting plan that could add five Republican congressional seats. Abbott filed an emergency petition to remove state Rep. Gene Wu, arguing he abandoned his office by leaving the state, while Paxton sought removal of 13 Democrats and also targeted a fundraising group led by Beto O’Rourke that supported the lawmakers’ travel. Paxton’s lawsuits claim the Democrats forfeited their offices by breaking quorum, a move the Democrats and their attorneys argue is unconstitutional and that only the Texas House can discipline its members. A Tarrant County judge temporarily barred O’Rourke’s group from raising funds for the lawmakers, calling their fundraising efforts unlawful. Democrats condemned the legal actions as harassment aimed at breaking their resistance to what they view as a corrupt and racist gerrymander driven by Trump’s agenda. This dispute is part of a larger national battle over congressional redistricting, with Texas being a critical battleground for control of the U.S. House during President Donald Trump’s second term.