Seal
________________________________________________________________________





*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

August 8, 2025

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov




*PRESS OFFICE: (512) 463-2050*

[email protected]





 

* *

*Attorney General Ken Paxton Files Historic Lawsuit Against Democrat Runaways in SCOTX to Secure Order Declaring Their Seats Vacant *

 

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Texas to formally pursue judicial declarations that 13 Texas House seats have been vacated due to continued unlawful absences by Democrat legislators who failed to meet the return deadline set by Speaker Dustin Burrows.

 

“The rogue Democrat legislators who fled the state have abandoned their duties, leaving their seats vacant,” said Attorney General Paxton. “These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold. Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on. I have asked the Texas Supreme Court to declare what has been clear from the beginning: that the runaway members have officially vacated their offices in the Texas House.”

 

House Democrats remain willfully absent from the State of Texas, choosing instead to engage in politically motivated grandstanding from out-of-state locations. Their conduct represents a flagrant abandonment of office and a betrayal of the voters who entrusted them with the duty to represent Texans in the legislative chamber.

 

This initial lawsuit concentrates on 13 Democrat members who made incriminating public statements regarding their refusal to return, essentially confirming in their own words the very grounds for this legal action. Texas law provides the Attorney General with explicit authority to represent the State in quo warranto actions and to appear before the Texas Supreme Court in matters where the State has a direct interest.

 

The petition states: “The Texas Constitution, statutes, and rules provide a broad range of tools for members of a legislative minority to be heard. But those tools do not include concerted effort by members of the minority to disrupt the functioning of the Legislature by abdicating their duties, including spurning the constitutional authority of the remaining members to compel their attendance. When members of the Legislature disregard arrest warrants, refuse to perform their duties, and announce that they intend to prevent the Legislature from exercising its constitutional responsibilities, they have, through words and conduct, demonstrated an intent to relinquish and abandon their offices.”

 

In addition to filing this petition, Attorney General Paxton and Speaker Dustin Burrows moved [ [link removed] ] to enforce arrest warrants in other states. Attorney General Paxton also launched an investigation into Powered by People [ [link removed] ] and Texas Majority PAC [ [link removed] ] for potentially operating an illegal financial influence scheme to bribe Democrats into breaking quorum.

 

To read the petition, click here. [ [link removed] ]

   

###







Stay Connected with Office of Texas Attorney General on
Facebook [ [link removed] ] - X [ [link removed] ] - Instagram [ [link removed] ] - Email [ [link removed] ]

 Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].


________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Office of Texas Attorney General ·300 W. 15th Street · Austin, TX 78701 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]