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The Texas House on Monday fell just short of having enough members to begin conducting official business and voted overwhelmingly in favor of a procedural move that locked the doors of the chamber to prevent members from leaving in an effort to retain a quorum. The move, known as a “call of the House,” signals the continuation of a weekslong impasse between Democrats and Republicans in the chamber over a GOP elections bill as the second special session gets underway. This is the second time in recent weeks the majority Republican House has voted to issue a call of the...

A Democrat judge out of Travis County, Texas, sided Sunday with Democrat lawmakers, pejoratively called “fleebaggers,” who fled the state in protest of new election integrity laws. State District Judge Brad Urrutia granted a temporary restraining order “blocking the arrest of House Democrats who have broken quorum by leaving the state, paving the way for those who remain outside of Texas to return home without threat of arrest,” KWTX reported. More than 50 House Democrats fled the Lone Star State to Washington, DC, in early July to block the passage of an elections bill they said would restrict voting access....

Texas Judge Says Governor Can’t Have Runaway Democrats Arrested Kevin Daley • August 9, 2021 Fugitive lawmakers fled to Washington to avoid voting on a voting rights bill

A Democratic judge in Travis County, Texas, has issued a temporary restraining order that will prevent the arrest of Texas state legislators who fled the state for Washington, D.C., rather than vote on an election integrity bill. The order will be good for 14 days and can be renewed indefinitely.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Supreme Court has voided a state district judge's temporary restraining order barring the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who have refused to return to the Legislature, putting in jeopardy the liberty of some Democrats who have returned to the state.

A Democrat Texas judge has temporarily blocked the arrest of Texas House Democrats who fled the state to deny Republicans quorum on their voting reforms bills. In the order, Travis County Judge Brad Urrutia banned Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan from 'detaining, confining, or otherwise restricting a Texas House Democrat's movement without his or her consent,' as well as 'issuing any warrant or other instruments' that would lead to their confinement. In the order, Travis County Judge Brad Urrutia, above, banned Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan from 'detaining, confining, or otherwise restricting a Texas...