Texas House Democrats who fled the state last month to avoid voting on an election reform bill filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and other GOP leaders on Friday, claiming Abbott’s threat to arrest them is causing them “embarrassment,” as well as “distress” and “anxiety.”
The complaint, filed by 22 of the House Democrats on Friday, alleges that since they fled to Washington, D.C. last month, Democrats have been “deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, suffered much anxiety and distress over separation from their families, and much discomfort and embarrassment.”
From the Texas Tribune:
The lawsuit alleges that some Democrats are being targeted because of their race and skin color, but then provides no evidence.
It also claims the three Republican lawmakers acted together under the “color of law” to cause the harm alleged in the suit, but then points no specific harmful actions other than “public statements.” The lawsuit also says some individual plaintiffs experienced “retaliatory attacks, threats and attempts at coercion relating to the exercise of their First Amendment rights” but again does not provide specifics.
The 22 House Democrats were part of the larger group of 50 that absconded to Washington, D.C. in a private jet in July to deny the Republicans a quorum necessary to vote on election reform legislation.
ON PLANE TO DC: Texas Democratic lawmakers are leaving state to break quorum to stop Republican voting bill. Veteran Capitol observers say this is unchartered territory. Photo from Democrat on the plane. https://t.co/YOuOMb0A2m pic.twitter.com/abWoARvFIC
— ScottGordonNBC5 (@ScottGordonNBC5) July 12, 2021
Abbott blasted the stunt and threatened to arrest the Democrat lawmakers upon their return, noting that sooner or later they would have to vote on the bills.
“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 told reporters last month. “If they do not return to work, they risk losing their jobs as state representatives for not showing up.”
On Friday, Abbott attempted a third special session to vote on election reform legislation, but the Democrats still refused to show, with two reportedly vacationing in Portugal.
Read the lawsuit:
Texas House Democrats just broke into song during a press conference on Capitol Hill.
source https://www.infowars.com/posts/runaway-texas-democrats-sue-gov-abbott-for-causing-embarrassment-anxiety-distress
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