Abbott launches bid to remove Texas Democrat Gene Wu from office

AUSTIN, Texas (CN) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott filed an emergency petition with the state Supreme Court seeking the indefinite removal of Houston Democrat Gene Wu, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, from office.

Abbott claims in his 35-page quo warranto petition filed Tuesday afternoon that Wu, who also chairs the House Democratic Caucus, willfully abandoned his office when he and other House Democrats fled the state this week to block the lower chamber from voting on a controversial redistricting plan backed by President Donald Trump.

The government wants the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court to decide whether Wu forfeited his office by breaking 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 in a statement announcing his suit. “Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans, and there must be consequences."

To Abbott, the future of Texas is at stake if this question is not answered soon. He paints a scenario in which a minority of lawmakers could use the tactic of denying the House the required 100 members needed to take up important legislation, including state budgets. The long-term effect of not punishing lawmakers that break quorum is, Abbott claims, a threat to the future of representative government in the state.

“If representatives are free not to show up whenever they choose, then Texans simply do not have a representative government,” Abbott claims in his petition. “In fact, they don’t have a functioning government at all. This court should make clear that a legislator who does not wish to perform his duties will be stripped of them.”

Undeterred by the prospect of being removed from office, Wu issued a statement, saying it was his moral duty to “sound the alarm” against the governor’s plans to enact a racially gerrymandered congressional map that favors Republicans.

“Denying the governor a quorum was not an abandonment of my office; it was a fulfillment of my oath,” Wu said. “Unable to defend his corrupt agenda on its merits, Greg Abbott now desperately seeks to silence my dissent by removing a duly-elected official from office.”

Abbott claims House members have an obligation under the state constitution to be in attendance during sessions. He says the high court should not look to Wu’s statements as evidence that he intends on continuing his service in the Legislature, because serving as a representative involves being at the capitol, debating legislation and voting on behalf of their district.

While the petition targets the actions of Wu specifically, the implications of how the high court decides this case could impact all lawmakers, now and in future legislative sessions, who use quorum as a tactic to stall legislation they disagree with. If Wu and other lawmakers are removed from office, Abbott has vowed to fill the vacancies himself.

The petition is the latest escalation by Republicans since Democrats fled the state on Sunday. On Monday, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows signed civil arrest warrants for every absent lawmaker and the Texas Department of Public Safety is now authorized to make arrests and return the lawmakers to Austin. Abbott has also ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate the lawmakers for bribery, claiming their acceptance of funds and transportation violated state laws.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday also threatened legal action against the Democrats if they do not return to the Capitol by Friday. In a press release, the attorney general said he will seek judicial orders declaring their offices vacant if they fail to meet his deadline.

At the center of Texas’ legislative dysfunction is the Republicans’ new congressional map that would favor their party in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. Trump has not been shy about his desire to see Texas redraw the maps to boost his party’s numbers in the U.S. House of Representatives. In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, the president said he is entitled to five more Republican seats in Texas — a demand thatwould be satisfied under the Texas House’s plan.

Drawing political maps to favor the party in power — gerrymandering — is a practice done across the country by members of both parties. However, Texas Democrats argue that the proposed congressional map is also racially gerrymandered to dilute the voting power of majority minority communities in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

While outside of the state, Democrats have been meeting with elected leaders in New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois to discuss redistricting and how Democratic states can respond to Texas. California Governor Gavin Newsom has for weeks been discussing how his state may be able to counteract Texas by gerrymandering his state to favor Democrats.

Abbott asks the Texas Supreme Court to issue its ruling in no later than Thursday by 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

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