Illinois has long been a sanctuary state, but this is getting ridiculous. Yesterday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) pledged to protect dozens of Texas lawmakers fleeing their state to shut down the legislature. It is all an effort to prevent redistricting in the state. However, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is pledging to arrest them and expel them from office. Both seem “all in” in this game for Texas Hold’Em.
At least 100 members of the 150-member Texas House must be present to conduct business, and approximately 50 of the Democrats have left. Abbott said their commitment to voting as elected state officials is a duty and is “not optional.”
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to arrest and expel the Texas House Democrats who fled the state to avoid a redistricting vote if they do not return by Monday afternoon.
Dozens of Texas’ Democratic state representatives arrived in Chicago Sunday night to stall the vote. Shortly after Abbott released his statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus issued a simple response, writing: “Come and take it.”
The statement also described Republicans’ proposed districts, which would potentially secure five new GOP U.S. House seats in next year’s midterm elections, as a “racist mid-decade redistricting scheme.”
Abbott criticized the Democrats’ dramatic departure, starting his call for them to return with, “real Texans don’t run from a fight.”
The lawmakers have been ordered to return to the Texas State Capitol by 3 p.m. on Monday to vote in the special session, or they will face removal from office.
When the Governor calls a Special Session, the Texas Constitution provides that the “Legislature shall meet.” TEX. CONST. art. III, § 5. The governor is arguing that this is a mandatory duty for legislators. This is where it gets sporty. The Texas Attorney General has issued Opinion No. KP-0382 on the removal of missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House. The Attorney General Ken Paxton maintains that “whether a specific legislator abandoned his or her office such that a vacancy occurred will be a fact question for a court.”
Accordingly he may file a “quo warranto” action, literally an action to determine “by what authority?” does a person still claim office. Under this procedure, Paxton would seek a judicial declaration that these members have abandoned their offices.
In the meantime, the Democrats have responded with their own chest pounding with Pritzker (who hopes to run for the presidency in 2028) declaring that he will protect the fugitive members. He declared this a “righteous act’ by legislators to stop the political process.
This is not the first time that this maneuver has been used. In 2011, Democratic state senators from Wisconsin fled to Illinois to block a vote on removing union rights for public workers. Texas democrats have used this tactic in the past in 1979, 2003, and 2021. It was not successful in prior years in the long run.
Not to be outdone, Abbott is warning that lawmakers accepting assistance or “soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules” could be charged with bribery under state law. He can also order additional special sessions until the Democrats return.
As the standoff escalates, these novel legal questions may be heading to court. The effort to declare members as abandoned will take time and time is short when it comes to redistricting, which is often subject to years of challenges. Democrats are clearly hoping that running out of the state will allow them to run out the clock. They may be right. What may be more likely to succeed is the imposition of massive fines on the legislators.
I have long been a critic of gerrymandering by both parties. However, it remains a part of our political process.
None of this is good for democracy. The self-professed champions of democracy are fleeing to avoid a democratic vote by the duly elected representatives of the public. While it is common for legislators to leave hearings and floor votes to deny quorums, members ordinarily yield to the mandatory votes of the body. Fleeing the state to scuttle the democratic process hardly makes you the modern personification of Publius Publicola.
The problem is that our federal and state constitutional systems are based on Madisonian principles designed to force deliberation and, at times, compromise. Obviously, if one party has the votes, compromise is often not an option. However, the system works by having all factions involved in the legislative process.
Democrats insist that the redistricting will violate the rights of minority voters. Democrat Caucus Chair Gene Wu (D-Houston) said the governor is “using an intentionally racist map to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal.” However, that is a determination that is made ultimately in the courts. This action is preventing such review of the districts. If it does not violate the state or federal constitution, this action becomes less credible as motivated by constitutional as opposed to political interests.
Sitting in a stronghold of the opposing party hundreds of miles away undermines faith in the political system. It also leaves the impression of a stronger affiliation with national political groups than local constituencies. Seeking sanctuary in Illinois raises the question of who you are being protected from in refusing to allow democratic votes in your state.
Dear Mr. Turley, A few years back, Democrats fled Wisconsin into northern Illinois to get away from Gov. Walker. It didn’t work and this stunt will not work here. I hope Gov. Abbott will continue to call their bluff.
I remember that. And to paraphrase my earlier comment:
Afraid to stay in Madison
Amongst the hoi polloi
They hid out at the Radisson
In Rockford, Illinois
They look like a child who got caught cheating and in denial, wants to take their ball and go home . . . or, hide out in IL. But, of course, when they do it, it is Democracy!!!!!
Be interesting to see how this plays out in court.
Yes, a child’s mentality.
Could we get a better quality of leftist troll around here? What is this, the C or D team? Honestly, I’m willing to chip in so that the leftist comments here are at least original, not just copied and pasted.
Rabble:
I would love to try, but I unfortunately cannot turn my brain off enough to give a convincing attempt.
In one of the most stunning political comebacks in American history, on Monday Donald J. Trump picked the disgraced former congressman George Santos to lead the Department of Labor Statistics.
“This is such an honor,” Santos told reporters. “I really didn’t think I’d get pardoned before Ghislaine.”
The new DLS chief hit the ground running, revising upward the job figures from every month of Trump’s presidency.
“The American economy added a million new jobs in May and a billion new jobs in June,” Santos declared. “President Trump is creating jobs like crazy—he even gave one to Pete Hegseth.”
The unprecedented job growth has boosted Trump’s approval rating, which Santos said currently stands at 500 bazillion percent.
Are you going to put your lame copy-and-paste job on every post on this site? This isn’t even funny, it’s just stupid. Get a life already.
How pathetic.
Ano.
Yep. That how dems think
Something much more interesting and amusing, i.e. laughing at the woke leftists who got triggered, How Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ‘great jeans’ ad triggered liberals, exposed cultural divide
https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/how-sydney-sweeney-and-good-jeans-ad-triggered-good-cultural-row
“It’s pretty funny that all the online social justice girls are like ‘it’s racist, there is no such thing as good genes.’ Right, and then you go on Tinder and swipe left on every bald guy,”
— Bill Maher
“It’s pretty funny that all the *ugly* online social justice girls are like ‘it’s racist, there is no such thing as good genes.’ Right, and then you go on Tinder and swipe *right on the few lezzies who are even uglier than you are*.”
— Fixed It For Maher
If there isn’t a clearer example of the democrat/prog hypocrisy that this…the dems of NY State want to do exactly what they are criticizing the republicans for doing in Texas. They will even harbor those Texas hypocrites while they attempt to accomplish the same redistricting that they are screaming so loudly about.
Jonathan: Trying to rig the system in Texas to get more seats for DJT isn’t my idea of how Democracy is supposed to work!
And why do you think anyone would care about your idea of how democracy is supposed to work?
Damn, is our other serial liar “Mcintyre” really back? Please just go away you moron, you weren’t missed.
Thats not Dennis. He is gone forever.
Look at the logo. Not the one McInliar used during his years of polluting this site with his nonsensical rants.
He was either defunded or died. Frankly, i’m not bothered by either. .
dennis
We are NOT a democracy.
Cry harder you freaking loser.
epicenter of gerrymandering.
Go away, pest. Your inane responses are,… well, inane.
How is that No Kings thing working out for you?
https://x.com/FrontlinesTPUSA/status/1952046354261541249
And what is your opinion about dems in NY State attempting the same thing all the while decrying what is happening in Texas. Seems the pot is calling out the kettle
Did you forget Dennis, elections have consequences!
But Dennis, in NY and other Democrat states, they know Gerry Mander personally. You sound like a true believer in your cult, sipping Hemlock while lighting up a crack pipe.
Round up these outlaws and send them to Alligator Alcatraz. Meet the warden.
We The People are exhausted from the constant demands for compromise from talking heads, pseudo-intellectual social media warriors and self-proclaimed arbiters of “civilized discourse” who are so amoral that, in reality, they stand for nothing. How do we compromise with Antifa? How do we compromise with open borders lunatics? How are we to compromise with Hamas, Hezbollah and their supporters? Is compromise possible with Texas Democrats who abandon their official responsibilities in order to block the will of the people? Some topics cannot be resolved via compromise! History proves it! We tried compromise on slavery. How did that work? Our leaders led us into fairytale dalliances with compromise over healthcare, immigration, election integrity and even war. We are now asked to compromise on freedom of speech, freedom of religion and even on the Constitution itself! Enough! No more! Not one step backwards. The art of false compromise was beautifully expressed by Nikita Kruschev when he was asked about negotiating with the West. He happily stated that he took two steps forward with his demands and when the West objected he agreed to one step backward. That way he would ultimately accomplish his goal and we would compromise ourselves into defeat every time. We The People are no longer open to compromising ourselves into oblivion. Keep pushing! Find out!
Proclamation 80—Calling Forth the Militia and Convening an Extra Session of Congress
“On April 15, 1861,…President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling forth the state militias, to the sum of 75,000 troops, in order to suppress the rebellion. He appealed ‘to all loyal citizens to favor, facilitate, and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union.’”
Proclamation 92—Warning to Rebel Sympathizers
“[On] July 17, 1862,…I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby proclaim to and warn all persons within the contemplation of said sixth section to cease participating in, aiding, countenancing, or abetting the existing rebellion or any rebellion against the Government of the United States and to return to their proper allegiance to the United States on pain of the forfeitures and seizures as within and by said sixth section provided.”
___________________________________________________________
Abraham Lincoln was a Great American President.
Now President Donald J. Trump MUST implement his rendition of “The Lincoln Era,” close the border, rescind rebel sanctuary cities, compassionately repatriate all illegal and unassimilable aliens, revoke birthright citizenship, make English the sole official language, commence a war to defeat the rebellion, impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus, “smash” rebel printing presses, networks, podcasts, and social media platforms, and imprison political opponents and rebel judges, all in order to save, not the Union, but the Nation, eradicate the communist American welfare state, and place America squarely back on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, including absolute freedom, free enterprise, free industries, free markets, private property, and minimal taxation and regulation, alongside infinitesimal constitutional government.
Afraid to stay in Austin
Amongst the hoi polloi
They wandered and got lost in
Chicago, Illinois
This is at least the second time they’ve pulled this trick. Texas needs to pass some laws that make it illegal for members of the legislature to leave the state for the purpose denying a quorum. It would have to have provisions for replacing members, or lowering the quorum limit, if they do not return to the state within a day or two of a public announcement of a vote – since evidently its hard to arrest them when they flee the jurisdiction. But they’d also have to be careful to write the law in a way that prevents abuse – ie. calling a vote when most of the other party is away at a national convention, etc.
Underground Fail Road
Arrest Pritzker for obstruction, problem solved.
“Arrest Pritzker for obstruction, problem solved”
Obstruction of the sun by his big fat ass?
Smalls, ya killing me man! Could be a war of the lardasses HRC vs Pizzker, see who loses weight fastest on a prison food diet. Do you think Bill will have a party when Hillary goes bye bye?
“Arrest Pritzker for obstruction, problem solved.”
I dunno if Texas could charge him criminally, but I’m pretty sure they could sue the living f*ck out of him. How ridiculous is it for Pricker, as governor of a state where the dead rise to vote en masse every election day, to obstruct the legal procedures of any other jurisdiction.
I’m a Texan and I doubt Abbott is messing around. Who are these cowards in cahoots with Pritzker of all people? Total embarrassment.
I guess illegal aliens and derelict Texas lawmakers are the only ones who want to come to this godforsaken state.
Whatever happened to Rep. LaMonica McIver that assaulted and ICE agent? That’s what will happen to the Texas deserters. Squat.
Her trial is set for Nov 10, 2025
Thank you. I know that conservatives have gotten used to losing all the time, but this is not Bush or even Trump 1.0. “Mack Truck” McIver will be expelled from the house, and she will be going to jail for her stunt.
Getting out the large kettle to make popcorn.
Might want to break out the 3-D glasses, too. The cover on these cowards is so thin if they turn sideways you’ll miss them.
“The cover on these cowards is so thin if they turn sideways you’ll miss them.”
If they are hiding behind Pricker’s fat a$$ they will be very well concealed. They might gag, however.
It’s ironic they fled to Illinois, the epicenter of gerrymandering.
But that is righteous-D gerrymandering. This, being dastardly-R gerrymandering, is wholly different.
Correction: it’s (D)ifferent, not different. 🙃
Chop the head. Pitch it into the ocean.
Now that would be funny… Watch the dems go nuts….. again.