Texas Supreme Court rules runaway Democrats CAN be arrested after returning from DC if they don't show up for GOP session on voting bill
The Texas Supreme Court cleared the way for Governor Greg Abbott to arrest more than 50 Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday who left the state if they don't show up for a session on Republican-backed voting security measures.
Abbott vowed to arrest the Democrats who fled the state on July 12th, denying the state House of Representatives the 100-person quorum it needs to approve the voting legislation on his special-session agenda.
The state court's ruling would overturn a lower court's temporary restraining order that prevented the government from arresting them for political purposes.
Texas District Judge Brad Urrutia issued the order Sunday in a case filed by 19 Texas House Democrats against Abbott, the Washington Post reported.
As of Monday as many as 95 state lawmakers were seen at the Texas state house (pictured: a handful of Democratic lawmakers remaining in DC hold a press conference on August 6th)
The Lone Star State is among several led by Republicans and pursuing new voting restrictions in the name of enhancing election security.
The 29-day stand-off inched closer to ending Monday as several progressive holdouts came back to Texas and put Republicans on the brink of having enough lawmakers to push forward once again with the proposed election overhaul.
But the bitter battle has started to weaken as more Democrats who fled to Washington in July begin shuffling back into the state Capitol, believing their point has been made as they also feel the strain of a long absence away from home.
The Tuesday ruling is a reversal of a lower court's restraining order blocking the Democrats' arrest
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (pictured in May) - a Republican - threatened to arrest the lawmakers when they eventually return to the Lone Star state after they packed onto private jets and flew to the nation's capitol on July 12th
As many as 95 members appeared at the Capitol Monday afternoon. Just five more members need to return to end the stalemate.
The push comes amid repeat false statements from Donald Trump asserting that the November presidential election was stolen from him through widespread fraud.
His most recent in-person effort was at a rally in Arizona in late July, when the twice-impeached ex-president lauded the state's forensic audit of 2020 election ballots.
'This is only the beginning of the irregularities,' Trump said, later adding that 'Texas wants to do a forensic audit.' Trump had won the state both in 2016 and 2020.
Democratic State Rep. James Talarico announced his arrival to the Lone Star State on Twitter. 'I'm home!', Talarico wrote on Monday with a picture of him smiling and standing next to a Round Rock city limit sign.
More than 50 state lawmakers fled Texas to avoid voting for a controversial election security bill
'Our quorum break shined a national spotlight on the TX voter suppression bill and pushed Congress closer to passing a federal voting rights act to override it. I'm confident they will,' he added. 'Now I'm back to clean up Greg Abbott's latest messes from COVID to ERCOT.'
Democratic State Rep. James Talarico announced his arrival to the lone-star state on Twitter . 'I'm home!', Talarico wrote on Monday with a picture of him smiling and standing next to a Round Rock city limit sign
Rep. Gina Hinojosa, one of the lawmakers named as a plaintiff in the motion that successfully led to the restraining order, called out the four Democrats who participated in Monday's session
'Since the beginning of the quorum break, I have been very honest about our options in Texas - we don't have many. This is by design,' Talarico said in addition to his message on Twitter. 'Under one-party rule: democracy suffers.'
Other Texas Democrats remain in Washington, some of whom lashed out at their former fellow holdouts who returned to the Capitol.
But the group that is staying behind - which last weekend was less than half the more than 50 Democrats who originally fled to Washington - is not large enough to keep denying the Legislature a quorum.
Rep. Gina Hinojosa, one of the lawmakers named as a plaintiff in the motion that successfully led to the restraining order, called out the four Democrats who participated in Monday's session.
'For transparency purposes it is important to note that the following Democrats are on the Floor now & no longer breaking quorum,' she said while 'tagging' Talarico, González, Moody and Fierro.
TEXAS' VOTING RIGHTS BILLS: WHAT'S IN THEM AND WHY THE DEMOCRATS THINK THEY 'RESTRICT' ELECTIONS
Democrats argue that: