The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned an order that would have stopped the arrests of the Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to avoid forming a quorum in the Legislature.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan had filed a petition to overturn the order, according to KVUE-TV.
“In this case, there can be little doubt that the Plaintiff’s arrest and subsequent transport back to the Capitol falls comfortably within the Legislature’s (and the Speaker’s) broad power to compel the attendance of its members,” the petition said.
“Plaintiffs are 19 state legislators who sought and obtained public office and swore an oath to uphold the Texas Constitution — the very same Constitution that authorizes each House to compel the attendance of its members,” it continued.
Today the Texas Senate PASSED agenda items for the second special session:
➡️ Benefits for retired teachers
➡️ Bail reform
➡️ Property tax relief
➡️ Primary electionsHouse Dems must get back to work & pass these & other items that Texans demand & deserve.#txlege
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 9, 2021
“If [plaintiffs] no longer wish to fulfill their public duties, they are free to resign and return to Texas.”
The Democratic lawmakers fled to Washington, D.C., on a private charter plane last month and have remained there in order to block any progress on a Republican election integrity bill.
It is easily one of the most ridiculous political stunts of the decade, as many of the legislators ended up testing positive for COVID-19 and could now face arrest upon returning to Texas.
“The Texas House will use every available resource under the Texas Constitution and the unanimously-passed House Rules to secure a quorum to meaningfully debate and consider election integrity, bail reform, benefits for retired teachers, Child Protective Services reform, Article X funding, and the other important measures Gov. Abbott placed on the special session agenda,” Phelan said in a statement.
“The special session clock is ticking — I expect all Members to be present in our Capitol in order to immediately get to work on these issues.”
.@KenPaxtonTX on Texas Democrats: "The Governor's going to keep calling them back and they should come back, eventually, they're going to have to vote." https://t.co/VlT7z8drtO pic.twitter.com/tKfzidQILC
— Newsmax (@newsmax) August 7, 2021
On Friday, the truant state representatives filed a lawsuit against Abbott and Phelan for threatening to arrest them.
Unsurprisingly, they are arguing that their civil rights were somehow violated when officials tried to force them to do their jobs.
These Democrats have placed themselves above the law because they do not want to face the consequences of their own self-righteous actions.
Instead of working to negotiate on the election integrity bill, they have been raising money, asking for care packages, and even vacationing in Portugal.
Lawmakers who were elected to serve Texans are willfully neglecting their responsibilities in order to score cheap political points.
The 2022 election could be a rude awakening for them — if their imminent arrest is not enough.