The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected Governor Greg Abbott's attempt to declare that Democratic lawmakers who left the state in 2025 to block a vote on new congressional maps had abandoned their offices.

More than 50 Democratic legislators fled to New York, Illinois and Massachusetts during a special legislative session to deny Republicans the quorum needed to vote on redistricting maps pushed by President Donald Trump. The walkout was part of efforts to stop redrawing that would have favored Republican candidates.

Abbott had filed a lawsuit directly to the state's highest civil court arguing that State Representative Gene Wu, leader of the House Democratic caucus, and other lawmakers had effectively vacated their positions by leaving. State Republicans had also sought the lawmakers' arrest and threatened fines to force their return to the Capitol.

In denying Abbott's request, Justice James Blacklock wrote that the Republican-majority Legislature had adequately addressed the situation through measures like fines against the absent lawmakers, who eventually returned within two weeks. "In the end, a quorum was restored in two weeks' time, without judicial intervention, by the interplay of political and practical forces," Blacklock stated.

The Democratic lawmakers argued they were exercising their right to dissent rather than abandoning their offices. Wu said in legal briefs that their return proved "they never intended to abandon their offices" and that "this quorum break was always understood to be temporary."

After the lawmakers returned to Texas, the new congressional map was passed and signed into law by Abbott. The Texas redistricting effort was part of a broader wave of map redrawing across multiple states as governors from both parties sought to give their candidates advantages in the 2026 midterm elections.