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Texas Republicans, Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are seeking nationwide civil arrest warrants for the Texas House Democrats who broke quorum when they fled the state for Illinois and California.
In the latest escalation of the redistricting debate taking national politics by storm, Paxton and Burrows are seeking to “domesticate” civil arrest warrants in Illinois and California for the Texas Democrats who fled the Lone Star State to block a Republican-led redistricting plan that could protect Republicans’ slim U.S. House majority.
“We are pursuing every legal remedy at our disposal to hold these rogue legislators accountable,” Paxton said in a statement. “Texas deserves representatives who do their jobs instead of running away at the behest of their billionaire handlers. If there’s one thing Texans can’t stand more than losers, it’s cowards.”
Burrows emphasized that “all options are on the table” to ensure House members return home to Texas to “fulfill their constitutional obligations.”
TEXAS ASKS ILLINOIS COURT TO ENFORCE ARREST WARRANTS FOR DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS
Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The State has no choice but to pursue additional legal remedies to compel their return from other states. Our full focus is on stopping this dereliction of duty and restoring quorum in the Texas House as soon as possible so we may return our time, attention and resources where they most matter—on the critical issues of the special session call,” the Republican House Speaker said.
ABBOTT, PAXTON LAUNCH LEGAL BLITZ ON FLEEING DEMOCRATS IN REDISTRICTING SHOWDOWN
Burrows issued arrest warrants on Aug. 4 for the Democrats who fled Texas, under Article III, Section 10 of the Texas Constitution and Rule 5, Section 8, of the Rules of the Texas House of Representatives.
According to the attorney general’s office, it allows for “[a]ll absentees for whom no sufficient excuse is made may, by order of a majority of those present, be sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found.”
More than a week later, as Democrats have yet to return, Paxton and Burrows are seeking to implement their warrants in Illinois and California, through the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivers his annual budget address in front of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, left, and Senate President Don Harmon, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)
While the Texas Republicans argue that other states are obligated to adhere to official acts by the state of Texas, both Govs. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Gavin Newsom of California have come out in support of the rogue Texas Democrats, as their home states float their own redistricting plans to balance the scales if Texas Republicans are successful.
The Democrats will not be detained and escorted back to Texas unless a state court in Illinois and California accepts Texas’ civil arrest warrants.
Once lawmakers leave the state, they are beyond the legal jurisdiction of Texas authorities who can compel their return, according to GovFacts, a nonpartisan educational resource that explains U.S. government legalities.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom attends a press conference, July 2, 2025, in Burbank, California. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
However, if they were to return to Texas, the Texas Constitution would allow legislative leaders to “physically compel the attendance” of missing members through civil arrest warrants, allowing law enforcement to find the missing Democrats and return them to the Capitol.
Paxton has also filed a lawsuit with the Texas Supreme Court, requesting that 13 House Democrats’ seats are declared vacant because they fled the state to avoid the Trump-backed redistricting vote.
The conservative attorney general also filed a lawsuit against former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, for allegedly conspiring to aid and abet Democrats’ effort to break the quorum.
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke speaks to attendees during a “Our Fight, Our Future” rally at The Millennium bowling alley on Oct. 2, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
According to the Courthouse News Service, Republican Tarrant County Judge Megan Fay issued a temporary restraining order against O’Rourke and his Super PAC, Powered by People, hours after the suit was filed “to stop using funds to pay for Democrats’ travel expenses and conduct fundraising to pay for such expenses in the future.”
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When reached for comment, a Pritzker spokesperson pointed to his past comments, addressing the threat of nationwide civil arrests, in which he said Illinois law enforcement will protect “everybody” in Illinois.
And a Newsom spokesperson flagged his X posts, trolling the Texas Republicans and urging them to “come and take” democracy.
O’Rourke did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
