More than 50 Democratic members of the Texas House left the state on 3 August, flying to Chicago and other destinations to deny Republicans the two-thirds quorum required to conduct business. Their walkout blocks a mid-decade redistricting measure that could give the GOP as many as five additional U.S. House seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. Under chamber rules adopted in 2021, each absent lawmaker faces a $500 daily fine. The proposed map, requested by President Donald Trump and advanced during a 30-day special session, would raise the number of districts he carried in 2024 from 27 to 30. Democrats argue the plan dilutes minority voting power; Republicans say it reflects population shifts and note the U.S. Supreme Court allows partisan line-drawing. Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, set a 3 p.m. Central Time deadline on 4 August for the Democrats to return, warning he would seek to declare their seats vacant and pursue extradition if they remained out of state. Attorney General Ken Paxton backed the threat, saying lawmakers could face arrest and even felony bribery charges if they solicited funds to pay the fines. When the deadline passed without the lawmakers’ return, the GOP-controlled House voted to authorize civil arrest warrants. Speaker Dustin Burrows instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate and escort the absent members back to the Capitol, though the warrants cannot be enforced beyond state lines. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said the lawmakers may stay in his state “as long as they need to.” The standoff has prompted Democratic governors in states such as California and New York to weigh retaliatory mid-cycle map changes, while a pair of House Republicans from swing districts said they will introduce legislation to curb partisan gerrymandering nationwide. For now, legislative work in Austin—including flood-relief funding tied to the special session—remains at a standstill.