On The Docketers  — I’m Jen Rice, Democracy Docket reporter and writer of this newsletter. I joined Democracy Docket in May from the Houston Chronicle where I reported on the ground in Harris County, Texas (it’s also where I grew up). 

I know many of you are concerned about what’s happening in my home state and if you’ve been reading our stories, you know that we’ve been sounding the alarm that America is headed for what we can tentatively call the Redistricting War of 2025. 

There are so many layers to this story that mainstream media isn’t telling you, like this wild map quirk I uncovered. Would you read a special edition newsletter series tracking redistricting news where I’d include updates like these and other developments? 

Let me know!

Jen Rice, voting and redistricting reporter

THIS WEEK

• Texas Republicans clash over lawsuit removing top Democrat from office
  
  
• Georgia court allows conspiracy theorists to join Fulton Board of Elections
  
  
• Arizona releases election manual with court-ordered changes

TEXAS

Republicans clash over lawsuit removing top Democrat from office

It’s been a dramatic week for Texas redistricting (and the balance of power in Congress) so let’s get you caught up. Texas Democrats activated their emergency plan over the weekend, using the one powerful tool available to the minority party – a quorum break. As long as Texas House Democrats hold their ground in ally states like Illinois and New York, the GOP won’t have enough members present to hold a vote on the extra-gerrymandered map they drew to add five more Republican seats in Congress in 2026.

The Texas House issued civil arrest warrants to bring Democrats back to the Capitol, but even Republicans admitted they’re unenforceable while Democrats are under the protection of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D).

So now, Texas Republicans (Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn) are tripping over themselves in a competition to be The Most Unhinged Guy Punishing Democrats.

Abbott announced he asked Texas law enforcement to investigate the quorum breakers for potential bribery charges, then Paxton publicized his own investigation into former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s efforts to help fund them.

When Abbott and Paxton both threatened to remove Democrats from office for leaving the state, Abbott beat Paxton to it and filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court. Paxton sent a letter to the court disputing Abbott’s authority, which Abbott responded to with his own letter insisting he has the power to ask the court to remove them. Paxton said he plans to take his own legal actions if Democrats don’t return by Friday.

Cornyn – currently fighting off a serious primary challenge from Paxton – then got his own headline, boasting he was bringing the FBI in to deal with the quorum breakers. 

It’s unclear where this standoff is headed, but Texas Republicans are certainly flailing. Read more about Texas redistricting here.

Marc is on the front lines, taking on Republicans in court. Democracy Docket is exposing these threats to our democracy. After all, you can't fight for our democracy if you don't know what's happening. Upgrade now.

GEORGIA

Court allows conspiracy theorists to join Fulton Board of Elections

Georgia Republicans are laying the groundwork to create chaos in 2026, and the Fulton County Superior Court handed them a win this week.

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted in May to reject the GOP’s nominations of two conspiracy theorists to the county board of elections. One nominee refused to certify the county’s primary election results, while the other actually sued the board just last year based on false claims that they failed to maintain the county’s voter rolls.

“It’s not possible to work with folks trying to sow discord and chaos,” Commissioner Mo Ivory said during the board’s meeting to consider the appointments.

This week, the Fulton County Superior Court found the Board of Commissioners didn’t have the authority to reject the nominations.

Republicans are focused on election boards ahead of the 2026 election – they’ve already wreaked havoc on the board in North Carolina. Read more about the Georgia decision here.

ARIZONA  

Arizona releases election manual with court-ordered changes

Arizona now has a newly-updated election manual, after a federal court ordered the state to remove two pro-voting provisions from their procedures.

Election manual changes don’t typically make the news. But in this case, Arizona is losing two important tools to protect against election chaos: a provision allowing the state to certify election results when local officials refuse to do so, and a prohibition on political activity that could intimidate voters within 75 feet of any polling location.

The changes stem from a contentious lawsuit last year filed by the Trump-linked America First Policy Institute. A trial court granted the preliminary injunction, blocking both provisions of the manual. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ (D) office appealed the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals where litigation is ongoing. Read more about the Arizona provisions here.

OPINION

I’m not panicking. I’m outraged.

Marc responded this week to alarming comments from Tulsi Gabbard – who serves as national intelligence director, in a disturbing mockery of the office – after she claimed Marc’s refusal to post on X (formerly Twitter) is being reviewed by the Department of Justice as evidence of wrongdoing.  

“What Gabbard said is almost certainly untrue. I have no reason to believe I am under investigation, nor that my refusal to post on Twitter is evidence of guilt. That brings us back to my original question: why did she say it?” Marc wrote. 

Gabbard’s comments are more than just frustrating – they’re actually dangerous, Marc said. Read more here.

NEW VIDEO

Trump's DOJ Can “Jump in the Gulf of Maine” | Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows

The DOJ wants your voter information. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows joins the podcast to discuss the DOJ’s demand for state voter lists, Maine’s dangerous voter ID ballot initiative, and how Trump’s conspiracy theories harm election workers. Watch it on YouTube here.

What We’re Doing

The choices that continue to be made by those who hold power in Texas are horrifying. And yet, the opening notes of Amirillo by Morning and Texas Sun still make News Editor Sally Holtgrieve’s heart swell. She spent her 20s in the Lone Star State; she knows the people and land harmed by the Republican policy makers. It’s time to revisit her copy of Lawrence Wright’s “God Save Texas,” which she read during Trump’s first presidency. 

The book is “a journey through the most controversial state in America. It is a red state, but the cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king, but Texas now leads California in technology exports. Low taxes and minimal regulation have produced extraordinary growth, but also striking income disparities. Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create.”