Good morning,

It is now up to the Supreme Court of Texas to decide if quorum-busting Democrats will be removed from their seats. In today's One Click Survey, we want to know how you'll react to their ruling. 

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, August 11, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Paxton Moves To Vacate Seats of Quorum-Bustiung Democrats

• After warning Democrat lawmakers to return to the Texas Capitol by Friday or face legal consequences, Attorney General Ken Paxton has followed through by filing a lawsuit in the Texas Supreme Court seeking to declare the seats of 13 Democrat House members vacant. Brandon Waltens has the latest.
      
• Paxton argues that by fleeing the state and refusing to attend the ongoing special session in protest of a congressional redistricting proposal, the members have abandoned their offices. He cites their own public statements confirming the intent to block legislative business as evidence of “willful refusal to perform their duties.”
     

• Sources tell Texas Scorecard similar action could be taken against other absent Democrats in the coming days.

      
• On Friday, Speaker Dustin Burrows said 30 percent of each absent member’s monthly operating budget will now be withheld, and their paychecks must be collected in person at the Capitol rather than by direct deposit.
     
• The House is set to meet at 1 p.m. today. With the special session ending August 19, Gov. Greg Abbott has already signaled he will call another session if Democrats don’t return.

RELATED NEWS

• Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges O’Rourke misled donors by soliciting money under the guise of fighting Republicans while using the funds to cover Democrats’ personal expenses such as private jet travel, luxury hotels, and dining.
       

• Paxton's lawsuit claims the fundraising constitutes bribery, violates Texas election laws against personal use of political contributions, and runs afoul of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Full Senate To Consider Redistricting Plan

• As Erin Anderson reports, the Republican plan to create five new GOP-opportunity congressional districts is headed to the Texas Senate for consideration and likely approval.
     
• The Senate’s Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting voted along party lines to approve the plan, which mirrors the one stalled in the House by Democrats. The committee's chairman, State Sen. Phil King (R-Weatherford), said he focused on two objectives when assessing the proposed maps: electing more Republicans and making districts more compact.
     
• King said race-blind map drawing has now resulted in districts that are “substantially more compact.”

Sid Miller Announces New Lure To Combat a Flesh-Eating Parasite

• As the New World screwworm reemerges near the U.S.-Mexico border, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has announced a new bait that experts say could stop the flesh-eating pest in its tracks.
     
• As Addie Hovland reports, the parasite is native to South America and eats the living tissue of warm-blooded mammals, making it a threat to Texas’ wildlife population and multi-billion-dollar cattle industry. A recent case of the parasite has been confirmed only 370 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
         
• Miller explained that a new and improved synthetic bait, called TDA Swormlure, has been specifically engineered to attract and kill adult New World screwworm flies. It kills 90 percent of the flies on contact and is currently being tested in Panama.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Faces Calls for Removal

• Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo faced a historic 3-1 censure vote from the commissioners court after her proposed property tax increase was rejected. The vote followed accusations of disruptive behavior, prompting Republican Commissioner Tom Ramsey to call for her removal. Joseph Trimmer has the details.
      
• “It is time to consider replacing Judge Hidalgo in office,” said Ramsey. 
     
• He listed reasons such as “unpredictable absences,” “numerous outbursts with colleagues, county officials, law enforcement, and others in the presence of the public, including children,” “unrestrained profanity,” “inability to effectively conduct Commissioners Court meetings,” and “poor management resulting in criminal investigations.”

Former Austin Elementary School Teacher Gets 71 Years For 20 Child Sex Crimes

• A former Austin elementary school teacher has been sentenced to 71 years in prison for sexually abusing a child and possessing child sexual abuse material.
      
• The Hays County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Kevin Stephen Abeyta in February 2021 after a victim reported sexual abuse. Investigators tracked Abeyta to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was living at that time and again teaching elementary school art.
     
• State records show Abeyta was certified to teach in Texas from August 2016 through September 2022. Austin ISD has not yet responded to a request for information about Abeyta’s employment history with the district.

Today In History

On Aug. 11, 1914, a fire destroyed the courthouse in Duval County and most of the evidence related to a corrupt South Texas Democrat political machine. 

Quote-Unquote

"Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. And there's an opening convey of generalities. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner."

– John Steinbeck​

One Click Survey

Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the Supreme Court of Texas to declare vacant the seats of 13 Democrats who have “abandoned their duties” as members of the House.

Will you be upset with the justices on the court if they don’t vacate the seats? 

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!

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