AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Texas House Democratic Caucus issued the following statement after the Supreme Court of Texas denied Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton’s petitions seeking to remove Democratic lawmakers from office over their 2025 quorum break.
When Abbott threatened to arrest and expel House Democrats for denying him a quorum in August 2025, the Caucus issued its full response in four words: “Come and take it.”
He tried.
Days into the quorum break, the Governor and his Attorney General each asked the Texas Supreme Court for writs of quo warranto removing elected Democrats from office, with Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu the named target of the Governor’s petition. Nine months later, the Court denied both.
Texas House Minority Leader Rep. Gene Wu said:
“When Greg Abbott threatened to arrest and expel us for denying him a quorum, we told him he should ‘come and take it.’ He tried!
“Abbott sent us threats. He sent lawyers. He sicced his lapdog, Ken Paxton, on us. He asked the highest court in Texas to remove elected Democrats from office because we refused to be bullied into helping him pass a rigged map for Donald Trump. Today, the Republican-controlled Supreme Court said: no. The Constitution does not let a Governor erase voters’ choices when their choices are inconvenient to him.
“Abbott was wrong, weak, and after all his bluster he couldn’t come and take a damn thing.”
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