Twenty-two of the nearly 60 Democrat Texas state legislators who have temporarily moved to Washington, D.C., in order to stall a vote on an election-integrity bill in the state have filed a lawsuit against Governor Greg Abbott and other members of the GOP in the Lone Star State.
Abbott, along with Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and James White, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, are named as defendants. The plaintiffs claim that as a result of actions taken by the defendants, the have been “deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, suffered much anxiety and distress over the separation from their families, and much discomfort and embarrassment and their reputations impaired, and have lost much time from their homes and the companionship and care of their families and have been required to spend substantial sums of money and time travelling to and from the State of Texas to persuade Congress to pass laws to ameliorate the harm done and redress their grievances.”
The plaintiffs are seeking damages in the amount of $5 for actual damages and $10 in punitive damages for themselves and the classes they represent which includes “white, black, Asian, Hispanic, gay, and all [who] subscribe to the creed and belief that all citizens who are otherwise eligible should be allowed to register and vote in all elections.”
The lawsuit also alleges that at least some of the plaintiffs and class members were targeted due to their race and skin color, although it provided no evidence of this charge.
The 22 Democrats who filed this suit include Representatives Senfronia Thompson, Trey Martinez Fischer, Gene Wu, Vikki Goodwin, Ron Reynolds, Eddie Rodriguez, Jon Rosenthal, Jasmine Crockett, Mary Ann Perez, Alma Allen, Christina Morales, Nicole Collier, Celia Israel, Ana-Maria Ramos, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Terry Meza, Donna Howard, Jarvis Johnson, Ray Lopez, Shawn Thierry, Elizabeth Campos, and Gina Hinojosa.
On Saturday, Representative Shawn Thierry had the good sense to claim that she wasn’t part of the suit, although named in court documents. “I did not request, review or authorize the filing,” Theirry said in a statement.
Nicole Collier issued a similar statement saying, “I did not authorize, nor do I support the Original Petition (CV-00690-RP) naming Governor Greg Abbott, Speaker Dade Phelan and Chair James White as Defendants. This statement reflects my position only.”
The attorney used by the nearly two dozen Democrats to file the suit, Craig Anthony Washington, is currently practicing law under a probationary suspended license, according to the Texas State Bar.
As of this writing, neither Abbot, Phelan, or White has commented publicly about the suit.
The Democrats originally fled Texas on July 12 to avoid a special session called by Abbott to address election integrity and other hot-button items that were not addressed in the regular legislative session. After the first special session expired on Friday, Abbott called for another special session to begin on Saturday but, of course, most of the Democrats have not yet returned.
Two of the Democrats who left Texas in July have reportedly returned to Austin as of Saturday, which may signal that the month-long long denial-of-quorum may soon be coming to an end, and that their message has been heard in Washington.
“I was encouraged that the baton would be carried by my Washington colleagues at the federal level, that there would be sweeping reform nationwide,” Representative Eddie Lucio III told CBS.
It’s an odd story to be sure: Democrats who voluntarily left the State of Texas in order to avoid voting on an election integrity bill are claiming the governor and other GOP leaders are somehow responsible for their “discomfort” and “embarrassment,” the attorney filing the suit is currently practicing law on a probationary suspended license, and two of the members named as plaintiffs have already disavowed their participation.
Seems like the Democrats in Texas might be under a little more stress than they’re letting on.
