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Democratic Lawmakers Who Fled Texas Now Suing Gov. Abbott, Make Wild Claim About Their Civil Rights While Some Allegedly Vacation

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Twenty-two Texas Democrats who fled the state rather than face a special legislative session say they are certain their civil rights were violated when Texas officials tried to force them to do their jobs.

The wide-ranging lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Austin, claims that Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas officials violated the rights of Democratic lawmakers when they called for the arrest of members who returned to the state as a means to force them to enter the state House chambers.

To date, one warrant has been issued.

Democrats left rather than face an election integrity bill they oppose. By leaving the state, they denied the state the ability to summon them to a session. Their absence prevents any legislation from moving forward because there is no quorum, according to the Texas Tribune.

The suit says Democrats who have been living in four-star hotels in Washington, D.C., were “deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, suffered much anxiety and distress over separation from their families, and much discomfort and embarrassment.”

Two members of the group reportedly took a vacation in Portugal during the tine covered by the special session, which ended last week as a new one began.

The lawsuit claims there were “retaliatory attacks, threats and attempts at coercion relating to the exercise of their First Amendment rights” against the Democrats, but it did not list specific examples.

Not much sympathy flowed on Twitter.

The lawsuit says the attempt by Texas Republicans to force Democrats back into the state impacted issues, including race “in that certain Plaintiffs are either black or white” and color “in that certain Plaintiffs are distinguishable based upon the melanin in their skin.”

Related:
Longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler Bows Out of Leadership After Nancy Pelosi Gets Involved

The suit does not explain the basis for those claims.

The suit says Republicans acted under the “color of law” to cause harm but does not claim harm was caused by anything other than “public statements.”

Does this lawsuit show how delusional Democrats have become?

State Democratic legislators Shawn Thierry and Nicole Collier later said they had not lent their names to the suit, which seeks $5 in actual damages and $10 in punitive damages.

The special session the Democrats fled ended, but a new one that will last for 30 days began Saturday. The session came to a quick end because of the Democrats’ absence, according to the Tribune.

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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