Texas Supreme Court may decide next plot twist in the Democratic walkout, and the fate of 2,100
Texas Supreme Court may decide next plot twist in the Democratic walkout, and the fate of 2,100 state employees
by Reese Oxner, Texas Tribune
The Texas legislature is immobilized. The governor is fuming. And the next chapter in the gamesmanship that has engulfed Republican efforts to rewrite Texas voting laws may fall to the state's third branch of government: the judiciary.
The Texas Supreme Court has been asked to rule whether Gov. Greg Abbotts unprecedented line-item veto of Article X in the state budget which pays for the Legislature and its staff is constitutional.
Abbott issued the veto after the regular legislative session ended, pulling one of the few political levers at his disposal to try to force Democratic lawmakers to show up for a special session if they want their staffs to keep getting paid when the next fiscal year starts Sept. 1.
It didn't work, with enough House Democrats leaving the state to deprive the chamber of the quorum needed to conduct business.
Now the state's all-Republican highest civil court with four of eight members appointed by Abbott and one seat vacant has been asked by the House Democrats who broke quorum to overturn the veto.
Read more:
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/21/texas-supreme-court-democrats-walkout/