Texas Representative Gene Wu dismisses Governor Abbott's efforts to remove him from office as insignificant
In a move that has escalated the ongoing political standoff in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has filed an emergency petition with the Texas Supreme Court to remove State Rep. Gene Wu from office. The governor alleges that Wu has abandoned his office by intentionally skipping a constitutionally mandated special legislative session, thereby breaking quorum [1][2][3].
The special legislative session was called by Governor Abbott at the behest of President Trump, with the purpose of redrawing congressional maps in the hopes of gaining up to five additional seats for Republicans ahead of next year's midterm elections [6]. However, Texas Democrats, led by Rep. Gene Wu, fled the state to break quorum and prevent Republicans from advancing a GOP friendly map [7].
Wu believes that the special session in Texas is a threat to the nation and democracy, stating that the governor does not have the power to file such a suit under state law [8][9]. He argues that under the Texas Constitution, only the House—via a two-thirds majority vote—has the power to expel members, not the governor or courts [4].
Abbott labels Wu “the ringleader” of the quorum-breaking Democrats, and the lawsuit seeks a ruling by the Texas Supreme Court that such abandonment warrants removal from office and possibly declaring Wu’s seat vacant [1][3][4]. The lawsuit also alleges that Wu and others may have solicited and received benefits in exchange for their absence, supporting bribery allegations as additional justification for removal [1][2][3].
Legal experts consider this a contentious and unusual interpretation, as Texas has historically tolerated quorum breaks and used fines or arrests—not removal from office—as consequences. The Texas Constitution’s high quorum threshold is intended to allow minority party leverage, and cases of actual expulsion for quorum breaking are rare and historically distant [5].
Meanwhile, Rep. Gene Wu spoke to NPR about the Democrats' efforts and why he isn't worried about the Trump administration dragging them back to Texas. He claimed that the Republican Party's gains with Latino voters in Texas are a threat to communities that have fought for decades to build up power [10].
References:
- NPR
- The Texas Tribune
- CNN
- The Washington Post
- The Texas Observer
- The New York Times
- Politico
- The Hill
- Associated Press
- NPR
- The ongoing political standoff in Texas, centering on the special legislative session called by Governor Abbott to redraw congressional maps, has escalated with Governor Abbott filing an emergency petition to remove State Rep. Gene Wu from office due to his alleged intention to break quorum.
- Governor Abbott alleges that Rep. Gene Wu, the self-proclaimed ringleader of the quorum-breaking Democrats, has abandoned his office, breaking a constitutionally mandated special legislative session, and claims that this warrants his removal from office and possibly declaring his seat vacant.
- Rep. Gene Wu, on the other hand, argues that the Texas Constitution grants the House—not the governor or courts—the power to expel members, and that the governor's lawsuit is a contentious and unusual interpretation, especially considering the rare instances ofactual expulsion for quorum breaking.
