In a dramatic escalation of partisan conflict in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed two sweeping lawsuits on August 8, 2025, intensifying the state’s response to a high-profile walkout by Democratic lawmakers. The move comes just days after Governor Greg Abbott launched his own legal attack on the Democrats, and as the Texas Legislature remains paralyzed by a standoff over a controversial mid-decade redistricting plan.
According to Democracy Docket, Paxton’s legal actions target both the absent lawmakers and their high-profile supporters. One petition, filed directly with the Texas Supreme Court, seeks to remove 13 Democratic state representatives from office, alleging they have “abandoned their offices” by breaking quorum to block the GOP’s redistricting push. The second lawsuit, submitted in Tarrant County, accuses former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, of providing illegal support to the Democrats by funding their walkout and misleading donors about how contributions were spent.
Paxton’s actions follow a week of mounting political tension in Austin. The Republican-controlled Legislature, aiming to push through a redistricting plan that would add five more GOP seats in Congress for 2026, has been stymied by the absence of more than 50 House Democrats. By fleeing the state, primarily to Illinois, the Democrats have denied the House the quorum required to conduct business, effectively grinding legislative activity to a halt.
Governor Abbott, frustrated by the ongoing impasse, filed a separate petition with the Texas Supreme Court earlier in the week, specifically targeting State Representative Gene Wu of Houston, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Abbott’s petition seeks Wu’s removal from office and a declaration that his seat is vacant. Wu responded forcefully in a filing on August 8, calling Abbott’s legal maneuver an “unprecedented request” and arguing that only the Texas House—not the judiciary—has the constitutional authority to expel its members. “The Court should put to rest the notion that the judiciary can expel a member of the House of Representatives,” Wu’s filing stated, according to Democracy Docket.
The Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus also condemned Paxton’s lawsuit, issuing a statement that described the move as “straight from the playbook of dictators and fascists who know they cannot win fair elections.” The group insisted that the lawsuits threaten the democratic process and set a dangerous precedent.
Paxton’s own position on the legal wrangling has been complex. Earlier in the week, he openly criticized Abbott for filing his lawsuit, suggesting that such actions should be the purview of the attorney general, not the governor. Yet Paxton’s subsequent petition to the Texas Supreme Court not only mirrored Abbott’s effort but expanded it, seeking to unseat a dozen additional Democratic lawmakers. The list includes Ron Reynolds, Vikki Goodwin, Gina Hinojosa, James Talarico, Lulu Flores, Mihaela Plesa, Suleman Lalani, Chris Turner, Ana-Maria Ramos, Jessica Gonzalez, John Bucy III, and Christina Morales, alongside Wu.
Paxton’s rhetoric has been unyielding. In a statement reported by NPR, he declared, “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.” He further accused the Democrats of engaging in a “jet-setting sideshow in far-flung places” and claimed they were “likely accepting Beto Bribes to underwrite” their activities.
The lawsuit against O’Rourke and Powered by People alleges that the group misled donors by soliciting funds for political purposes but instead used the money for “lavish personal expenditures”—including private jets, luxury hotels, and fine dining—for the absent lawmakers. Paxton claims O’Rourke promised to cover fines, travel, and lodging for Democrats if they broke quorum and is seeking a court order to halt the group’s fundraising. O’Rourke’s group, according to the Texas Tribune, has been a top funder of the walkout, helping cover the costs incurred by the lawmakers during their absence.
O’Rourke, for his part, responded swiftly, filing a countersuit against Paxton on August 8. On social media, he announced, “We just sued Ken Paxton in state court. Taking the fight directly to him.” Wu also pushed back against the bribery allegations, noting in his court filing that Abbott himself had sent fundraising appeals to support his border-wall construction. Wu argued that neither side’s fundraising efforts amounted to bribery, since there was no “quid pro quo exchange,” and pointed out that the Texas Penal Code does not consider such contributions bribery unless they induce an official to take an action they otherwise would not have taken.
With the legislative standoff dragging on, the Texas House took the unusual step of issuing civil arrest warrants on August 4 for the missing members. However, as reported by Democracy Docket, these warrants have little practical effect while the Democrats remain in states like Illinois, where Governor JB Pritzker has promised they will be protected. In a further escalation, Paxton filed a petition in Adams County, Illinois, on August 7, seeking to compel local authorities to arrest and return the absent lawmakers to Texas—a move with uncertain prospects given the legal complexities of interstate law enforcement.
The stakes of the conflict are high. Should the Texas Supreme Court grant Paxton’s request to remove the 13 Democrats from office, Governor Abbott would be empowered to call special elections to fill the vacant seats, potentially reshaping the balance of power in the House. House Speaker Dustin Burrows set a deadline of August 8 for the absent lawmakers to return, but with no sign of compromise, the Legislature remains deadlocked and unable to advance any legislative business during the special session.
The legal battle has drawn national attention, with Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn entering the fray by filing an amicus brief supporting Abbott’s lawsuit. Cornyn, who faces a tough primary challenge from Paxton for his Senate seat, has also indicated that the FBI has agreed to assist in apprehending the absent lawmakers, according to NPR. This federal involvement marks a rare and controversial step in what is typically a state-level dispute.
Amid the legal and political maneuvering, Wu has invoked his right to a jury trial and argued that the case, “to the extent there is a proper form,” should be heard in district court rather than the Texas Supreme Court, citing disputed facts that require a full airing of evidence. “Because the Governor’s arguments rely on disputed factual allegations—which cannot be called facts because no competent evidence has been submitted—this Court should proceed no further,” Wu’s filing stated.
As the special session grinds to a halt and the lawsuits pile up, Texans are left watching a high-stakes battle over the limits of legislative power, the reach of the judiciary, and the future of democratic norms in the state. The outcome of these legal fights will shape not only the fate of the 13 lawmakers and their districts, but could also set precedents for how political disputes are handled in Texas for years to come.
