Texas Legislature

Texas Legislature passes redistricting without Democrats present

| Importance: 10/10

In a controversial move, the Texas Legislature voted to change quorum rules and pass a new congressional map creating five additional safe Republican seats without Democratic members present. The legislature modified procedural rules to allow passage despite the absence of Democratic lawmakers, who …

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Texas House Democrats flee to Illinois to break quorum on redistricting

| Importance: 10/10

52 Texas House Democrats fled to Illinois to break quorum and prevent a vote on unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting that would create 5 new safe Republican congressional seats, echoing 2003 and 2021 walkouts but this time leaving state to avoid federal law enforcement. At least 51 Democratic …

Texas House Democrats Texas Legislature Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Gene Wu Josh Rush Nisenson +1 more redistricting democratic-resistance quorum-break interstate-politics constitutional-crisis +1 more
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Federal Court Rules Texas Voter ID Law Intentionally Discriminatory Against Minorities

| Importance: 8/10

A federal judge rules that Texas’s voter ID law, widely considered the strictest in the nation, was intentionally designed to discriminate against Black and Latino voters. The ruling finds “a pattern of conduct unexplainable on grounds other than the race factor” and marks the …

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Federal Court Rules Texas 2011 Redistricting Intentionally Discriminated Against Latino Voters

| Importance: 8/10

A federal court rules that the Texas Legislature’s 2011 redistricting plan for congressional districts discriminated against Latino voters in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. The decision finds that Texas deliberately carved up Latino communities and …

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Tigua Casino Closes After Abramoff Double-Dealing Scheme Success

| Importance: 8/10

Jack Abramoff orchestrated a complex lobbying scheme involving the Tigua tribe’s Speaking Rock Casino, first helping to lobby for its closure through Texas legislation, and then charging the tribe $4.2 million to allegedly reopen the casino. The case exemplifies Abramoff’s fraudulent …

Jack Abramoff Michael Scanlon Tigua Tribe Ralph Reed Texas Legislature abramoff tigua-tribe texas-gambling double-dealing fraud +1 more
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