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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

August 5, 2025

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov




*PRESS OFFICE: (512) 463-2050*

[email protected]





 

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*Attorney General Ken Paxton Will Seek Judicial Orders Declaring that Runaway Democrats Who Abandon Their Legislative Duties Vacated Their Office*

 

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that the continued refusal to perform legislative duties by Texas House Democrats who broke quorum constitutes abandonment of office and that he will pursue a court ruling ensuring that their seats are declared vacant.

 

Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows has given members until Friday, August 8, to return to Texas and present themselves before the House. Any lawmaker who has not been arrested and returned or fails to appear by the Speaker’s deadline will be subject to aggressive legal action by Attorney General Paxton.

 

“Democrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office. The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.”

 

Rulings issued by the Supreme Court of Texas do not allow the minority faction in the legislature to improperly interfere with the legislative majority’s prerogative to conduct business. By removing themselves from the State for the explicit purpose of interfering with the proceedings of the Texas Legislature, Democrats are refusing to perform their duties in a manner that amounts to abandonment of office. If the runaway members of the legislative minority do not return to the House and resume performance of their duties by the deadline, Attorney General Paxton will seek judicial relief confirming that their office is vacant.

   

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