Illinois Judge Rejects Texas Bid to Arrest Fleeing Lawmakers (2)

The Texas House of Representatives lost its bid to have an Illinois court meddle in a dispute over Texas state Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to avoid appearing before a special legislative session on new congressional maps.

Illinois courts don’t have any inherent power to consider whether the absent Texas lawmakers left in order to willfully evade the civil warrants issued by the Texas House of Representatives, wrote Adams County Judge Scott Larson.

And the Texas state House’s emergency petition seeking to transfer the legislative authority of Texas to an Illinois circuit court doesn’t cite any authority that would give Larson jurisdiction, he wrote.

The court doesn’t have the power to direct anyone to execute Texas civil quorum warrants on nonresidents temporarily located in Illinois, Larson ruled Wednesday. The Texas petition, which accused its absent lawmakers of flouting the democratic process, was filed in downstate Adams County, Illinois, which leans politically conservative.

The dispute is part of a ballooning fight over redistricting. Texas lawmakers left the state so their legislature wouldn’t have a quorum to vote on maps that would strengthen Republican presence in Congress in next year’s midterms. Meanwhile, California authorities have threatened to redraw their own maps if Texas moves ahead with redistricting.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) said they’d adjourn the special session and immediately start a new one if the Democratic lawmakers haven’t returned by Friday.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced over the weekend his office filed a complaint similar to the Illinois petition in California court, seeking the enforcement of warrants against six legislators who left for that state.

Illinois Democrats—including Gov. JB Pritzker, widely believed to be considering a 2028 presidential bid—have welcomed the Texas legislators taking refuge in the blue state.

The case is Texas House of Representatives v. Bucy III, Ill. Cir. Ct., No. 2025 MR 65, 8/13/25.