Texas House Democrats file lawsuit in fight against coming home to vote on election reforms
Source: Yahoo News
Nearly two dozen Texas House Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C., last month to stymie GOP-backed election reforms sued top Republicans in the state whom they say violated their rights in measures taken to bring them home to vote.
The lawsuit, filed by 22 Democratic lawmakers in federal court in Austin, Texas, late Friday, coincided with the final day of the first special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott and preceded a second special legislative session set to begin on Saturday. Abbott, House Speaker Dade Phelan, and State Rep. James White were named as defendants in the suit.
-snip-
The lawsuit alleges the three defendants sought "by public statements and otherwise, to attempt to deny, coerce, threaten, intimidate, and prevent" the Democratic lawmakers and their constituents their right to "vote in all elections," "peacefully assemble to redress their grievances," "speak publicly about the exercise of their constitutional rights," "of association," "security of person," and "freedom from arrest, except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation."
The suit, which claims the defendants were conspiring together, also says the plaintiffs "individually complaint about retaliatory attacks, threats and attempts at coercion relating to the exercise of their First Amendment rights."
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/texas-house-democrats-file-lawsuit-155300946.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
