Abbott orders a second special session as the redistricting standoff drags on

Hours after Speaker Dustin Burrows adjourned the first special session — telling members “not to go very far” — Gov. Abbott called a second one to begin that same day, vowing to “finish the job” on the congressional map President Trump had demanded.

From Chicago, Rep. Gene Wu said Democrats would return once two conditions were met: the first session’s adjournment, and California introducing its own map to counter Texas’s. Only 97 members were present as the new session opened — still short of a quorum — and Burrows warned absent Democrats that DPS and civil arrest warrants would stay active.

We’re prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions — and to take this fight to the courts. — Rep. Gene Wu