Texas House Democrats were served “civil arrest warrants” Thursday after they neglected their duty and escaped maskless on a private plane to Washington, DC, to prevent the passage of election integrity legislation.
“Texas House Sergeant-at-Arms delivers a civil arrest warrant to Rep. Ina Minjarez. Warrants will be handed out to all 52 Democrats who fled the state in protest over an election integrity bill,” the Post Millennial reported:
The arrest warrants were reportedly issued for 52 fugitives, but the “quorum-breaking lawmakers instead appeared to double down on extending their weekslong truancy,” the Texas Tribune explained.
In order to thwart arrest and ultimately a vote on election integrity legislation SB 1, House Rep. Gene Wu (D), who was mocked for posting a photo while in Washington, DC, of a Caesar salad and Coca-Cola Zero with the caption, “My fist [sic] meal as a fugitive. Delicious,” secured a court order Wednesday in Harris County that blocks his arrest for refusing to show up at the Texas Capitol.
“My legal counsel and I are working on granting the same protection for my fellow Texas House Democrats breaking quorum,” he stated. “We will not go down without a fight.”
Wu’s attorneys “challenged the constitutionality of the warrant issued, arguing that it was illegal,” ABC News 13 reported.
“There was no quorum, so they could do no business, so the warrant is illegal and the warrant to arrest violates the Texas constitution,” lawyer Stanley Schneider stated.
Jason Vaughn, policy director of Texas Young Republicans, explained that the fugitives will eventually have to be present for a vote.
“At some point, they’re going to have to come back and get the job done,” Vaughn stated. “We’re three or four (House Democrats) away from quorum now. It’s time to get to work. So let’s put this aside. There are plenty of things we can work on together and let’s get the job done.”
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