BREAKING: Texas AG Ken Paxton to ask judge to vacate seats of Dem lawmakers who fled state over redistricting vote

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will seek judicial orders to remove Texas state legislators who have fled the state in an attempt to block a congressional redistricting vote taking place in the state legislature. The lawmakers have until August 8 to return to the state and perform their duties in the legislature before Paxton requests the orders. 

"Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that the continued refusal to perform legislative duties by Texas House Democrats who broke quorum constitutes abandonment of office and that he will pursue a court ruling ensuring that their seats are declared vacant. Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows has given members until Friday, August 8, to return to Texas and present themselves before the House. Any lawmaker who has not been arrested and returned or fails to appear by the Speaker's deadline will be subject to aggressive legal action by Attorney General Paxton," a news release from Paxton's office said. 

"Democrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials," Paxton said in the release. "Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office. The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don't show up to work, you get fired."

"If the runaway members of the legislative minority do not return to the House and resume performance of their duties by the deadline, Attorney General Paxton will seek judicial relief confirming that their office is vacant," the release added. 

President Donald Trump as well as the GOP in Texas have moved to redraw congressional lines in the Lone Star State in an effort to gain some more GOP seats in the House of Representatives. 

However, several Democratic lawmakers left the state, not allowing there to be a quorum in the state legislature. When there is no quorum present, business cannot be conducted as usual. Governor Greg Abbott also warned on Sunday that if the Democrat lawmakers did not return to work by Monday earlier this week, that he would pursue legal consequences against them.