EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Two El Paso area state representatives are joining the fight to help a state representative that Gov. Greg Abbott wants to remove from office in the fight over redistricting.
Friday, Aug. 8, Texas state Reps. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and Mary E. González, D-Clint, submitted a legal brief in support of House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu.
Earlier this week, Abbott “used an unprecedented legal maneuver” to ask the Supreme Court of Texas to remove Wu from office after he and other House Democrats broke quorum to block racially gerrymandered congressional maps demanded by President Trump, Moody said in a news release.
About 50 Democratic legislators fled the state to break quorum and stop what they are calling an unconstitutional and racially discriminatory redistricting attempt by the state Republicans.
The state Supreme Court still has not ruled on Abbott’s request, although Attorney General Ken Paxton has now filed similar actions against at least 13 other Democrats. None of those other lawmakers were from El Paso in the list that was initially listed by Paxton’s office.
The brief filed by Moody and González asked the court to refuse the governor’s request. It debunks claims that the quorum break is a “constitutional crisis” with historical examples, then adds:
“What would be a constitutional crisis is this Court un-electing nearly every member of the minority party over lawfully resisting the majority. This legislative battle began because legislators wanted to pick their voters. This legal battle would cut voters out entirely and allow a partisan governor to pick his legislators.
“That puts us on the brink of naked authoritarianism. This Court should take no part in hurtling us over that edge into the endless darkness below.”
You can read the entire legal brief below:
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