Texas Supreme Court: Absent Dems Can Be Arrested

The Texas Tribune reports:

House Democrats who refuse to show up for the Legislature could soon be detained by law enforcement and brought back to the state Capitol, after the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday voided a state district judge’s temporary restraining order barring their arrest.

The all-Republican high court’s order came at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, also both Republicans, who petitioned the court on Monday to overturn a recent ruling by a Travis County district judge that blocked them from ordering the arrest of quorum-busting Democrats, who were in Washington, D.C., for about a month.

The House Democrats in the suit have until Thursday at 4 p.m. to respond to the court. The Democrats fled the state in July to block the passage of a Republican elections bill they say would restrict voting rights in the state.

Read the full article.

Breaking: Texas Supreme Court allows for arrest of Democrats who don’t show up to Legislature https://t.co/BmgEFGtBM3 #TXlege

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) August 10, 2021