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Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, protests redistricting plans before the hearing of the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting at the Capitol in Austin, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Gov. Greg Abbott is prodding the Texas Supreme Court to act on his months-old lawsuit to force state Rep. Gene Wu from office because of the Houston Democrat’s role leading last year’s quorum break<\/a> that\u00a0delayed the Republican-led plan to redraw Texas’ congressional district boundaries.<\/p>\n \u201cHe (Wu) clearly abdicated the remainder of his current term,” Abbott’s lawyer Trevor W. Ezell wrote to the justices in April, the most recent filing in the case that has yet to be scheduled for a hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The lawsuit by Abbott is an unprecedented move by a sitting Texas governor. And it’s the last lingering ramification for Texas House Democrats, who’ve already\u00a0been financially punished by their Republican counterparts for fleeing to the state to fight a map that gives the GOP an advantage in the midterms.<\/p>\n In an interview, Wu called Abbott’s lawsuit a sideshow that should be brought to an end and said that he no longer reads the court documents “because they’re all just the same nonsense again and again.”<\/p>\n “I miss having adults in the room,” said Wu, who leads the Texas House Democrats. “I really miss having adults in the room in government. Yes, this is politics, but this is serious.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said the governor also sees the matter as serious, and that he has no intention of backing down.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Abbott is committed to holding absent Democrats like Wu accountable for their dereliction of duty,” Mahaleris said in a statement. “This matter remains pending before the Texas Supreme Court. State law\u2014and common sense\u2014require the removal of legislators who violate their constitutional oath.\u201d<\/p>\n If Abbott persuades the court to oust\u00a0Wu, it would only be for the remainder of his current two-year term. Wu is up for re-election in November and if he wins, would be sworn into a new term in January ahead of the next legislative session.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But that outcome\u00a0could be a deterrent for\u00a0future lawmakers considering a quorum break.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: How Houston Democrat Gene Wu is battling racism and cultural norms to lead his party<\/a><\/p>\n In April,\u00a0the Texas House Republican majority imposed fines on the group of more than 50 Democrats who fled the state to fight redistricting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last week,\u00a0Wu announced last week that he had paid the $8,000 fine, which amounted to $500 for every day Democrats were absent and a reimbursement for the effort to round them up. He said he and others in the caucus made the calculated decision to pay their fines rather than wage a protracted battle that would have been equally expensive.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “We’re not going to spend a half-million dollars to fight a half-million dollar fine,” Wu said, referring to the combined total owed by the 50-plus Democrats who broke quorum.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n