This summer, Texas House Democrats made national news when they fled the state to block a vote on a Republican-backed congressional redistricting map that could give the GOP five additional U.S. House seats. Their departure effectively broke quorum, halting legislative action. Now, a high-stakes legal battle has reached the Texas Supreme Court, with Republican leaders pushing for consequences.

Governor Greg Abbott filed a petition with the state’s highest court seeking the removal of Democratic caucus leader Rep. Gene Wu for his role in the walkout. Attorney General Ken Paxton also filed a similar case targeting Wu and 12 other Democratic lawmakers. The court has agreed to hear both cases together, and a ruling could set a legal precedent on whether lawmakers can be removed for leaving the state to avoid voting.

Abbott celebrated the court’s decision to hear the case, calling it a step closer to holding “derelict Democrats” accountable. Although Abbott and Paxton initially disagreed over who had authority to file such lawsuits, Paxton now says he’s working with Abbott to ensure lawmakers face consequences.

Democrats left Texas on August 3 in an effort to stall the GOP’s redistricting plan, which came under pressure from former President Donald Trump. The map is seen as a strategic effort to expand the GOP’s narrow majority in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterms. For Democrats, breaking quorum was their only available method to delay the legislation.

Wu’s legal team argues he acted lawfully and with the support of his constituents. They maintain that absence from the state is not a resignation and cannot be equated to expulsion, which requires a two-thirds House vote.

The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court now faces political scrutiny, given that most justices were appointed by Abbott, including two who once served as his legal advisers.