“What a state (or states) can do, however, is begin the process of seeking a mutually agreed upon parting of the ways, and that process clearly exists, set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1868 ruling in Texas v. White. That ruling concluded that a state (or states) could secede by gaining approval of both houses of Congress and then obtaining ratification by three fourths of the nation's legislatures. In other words, it's a tough task.”
https://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2020/10/could-states-really-secede-from-the-union.html
Yes, there is a way for any state to break the pact, but Texas does not ‘have the right’ to secede. The chances of the US Congress voting to let Texas go are nil at best.
Exactly. One big caveat to the Texas vs White ruling. The decision was split, 5-3, which is pretty interesting given that all the justices were Lincoln appointees/supporters in some way. Think about it, five were Lincoln appointees because justices from southern/Confederate states resigned. Of the three justices not appointed by Lincoln, Grier was a democrat but from Pennsylvania, Nelson was from NY, and Clifford was from Maine. You would have expected that the decision would have been 8-0 or 7-1, allowing for the one democrat. That it was not is sort of mind-boggling. With only eight sitting justices, the decision was pretty close to a split decision. But that aside, THE single-most important decision regarding the “right to secede” was entirely made by NORTHERN justices. It wasn’t a ruling, it was a regional dictate.