Texas Dems Who Fled State Suing Texas Governor Abbott

The Texas Democrats who fled the state to block a vote on election security legislation are now suing Texas Governor Gregg Abbott because they claim their rights were violated.

The lawsuit claims that Abbott, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R), and Texas state Rep. James White (R) “embarked upon a course of conduct which is intended to violate State and Federal Constitutional Rights of the Plaintiffs and the classes of citizens they represent by denying rights under the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.”

The Democrats claim that their rights were violated “all because of their protected status” of race, because some of them are “either black or white”; creed, in that they “have expressed a faith or belief that every eligible citizen has the right to vote”; color, because they “are distinguishable based upon the melanin in their skin”; and natural origin, because some of them “are descendants of persons born in other countries.”

In detailing the alleged rights-violating actions, the lawsuit was not very clear. The lawsuit stated, “Defendants, individually and collectively, have embarked upon a course of action, scheme, conspiracy, and course of conduct, by public statements and otherwise to attempt to deny, coerce, threaten, intimidate and prevent Plaintiffs and The members of the classes Plaintiffs (1) the right to vote in all elections, (2) the right to peacefully assemble to redress their grievances, (3) the right to speak publicly about the exercise of their constitutional rights, (4) the right of association, (5) the right to security of person, and (6) the right to freedom from arrest, except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.”

After the Texas Democrats fled the state to stop a vote on an election security bill which they claimed restricted voting access, Abbott announced that they would “be arrested” upon return.

“As soon as they come back in the state of Texas, they will be arrested, they will be cabined inside the Texas Capitol until they get their job done,” Abbott said.
Abbott also explained how their “thesis” that the bill restricted voting access is “completely false.”

“We have special sessions that last 30 days, and the governor calls them and I will continue calling special session after special session, because over time it’s going to continue until they step up to vote,” Abbott said. “The thesis that they are operating under is completely false, because what the Texas law does, doesn’t hinder anybody’s ability to vote. And in fact, interestingly, what Texas is seeking to do is to add additional hours to vote. Texas has 12 days of early voting and the hours of which will be expanded. And we will ensure that hours are expanded on Election Day also.”

“So their entire thesis is completely wrong,” Abbott added. “And compare early voting in Texas with early voting that we have in Delaware. Texas has 12 days of early voting. Delaware has zero days of early voting. Why am I picking on Delaware? Because that is where the President himself voted in the last election. And if anybody wants to talk about voter suppression, they should be talking about Delaware, not Texas.”