In a significant escalation of his spat with Texas Democrats who left the state to stop a controversial redistricting vote, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has asked the Texas Supreme Court to remove Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, from office.
A statement from Abbott’s office identifies Wu as the “ringleader” in Texas House Democrats’ strategic effort to block a GOP-friendly redistricting vote by having dozens of them leave the state, denying the Republican-controlled House a quorum.
“Representative Wu and the other Texas House Democrats have shown a willful refusal to return, and their absence for an indefinite period of time deprives the House of the quorum needed to meet and conduct business on behalf of Texans,” Abbott said. “Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans, and there must be consequences.”
The emergency petition describes the Democrats’ departure as a “hijacking of Texas government” and accuses them of impeding democracy.
“If representatives are free not to show up whenever they choose, then Texans simply do not have a representative government,” the petition states. “In fact, they don’t have a functioning government at all.”
Wu’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on the matter.
It’s unclear whether Abbott’s petition has any legal standing, but the Texas Supreme Court is comprised entirely of Republicans, and Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock was formerly Abbott’s general counsel, The Texas Tribune noted.
Wu traveled to Illinois on Sunday ahead of Monday’s vote on the proposed redistricting, which would create five new GOP-leaning districts. President Donald Trump, who seeks to maintain Republican control of the House in next year’s midterms, has said the GOP is “entitled” to the redistricting.
“We’re doing this because we don’t have a choice,” Wu, who will remain out of state until further notice, said in a social media video Sunday. “This is the last tool we have to stop Trump and to stop the destruction of our communities. This is not a fight for just Democrats, or even Texans. This is a fight for all Americans, because if this spreads everywhere, if politicians can simply stop listening to their people, it’s over.”
Abbott’s effort to expel Wu comes the same day Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) asked the FBI to help track down and arrest all the Democrats who left the state, saying they’ve “committed potential criminal acts in their rush to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.”
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