Governor Greg Abbott has officially filed an emergency writ of quo warranto with the Texas Supreme Court, seeking the removal of far-left Democrat State Representative Gene Wu from office for abandoning his constitutional duties and fleeing the state in a premeditated scheme to block a GOP-led vote.
According to the explosive 70-page filing, Rep. Wu—Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus—was the ringleader of a carefully orchestrated plan that saw dozens of Democrat lawmakers hop aboard a 76-seat private jet, funded in part by Beto O’Rourke’s political action committee, to escape to Chicago rather than perform their duty during a constitutionally mandated special legislative session.
The petition alleges that Wu and his fellow Democrats deliberately broke quorum to sabotage redistricting reforms and kill flood relief, property tax relief, and school reform legislation, critical priorities for Texans.
“If representatives are free not to show up whenever they choose, then Texans simply do not have a representative government,” the petition reads.
“In fact, they don’t have a functioning government at all. This Court should make clear that a legislator who does not wish to perform his duties will be stripped of them.”
The petition reveals that Wu not only left the state, but actively solicited donations online to help cover fines and expenses—funding his absence with cash from liberal donors.
The document accuses him of potentially violating Texas bribery laws and the state constitution, citing provisions that require forfeiture of office if an official accepts anything of value to withhold their vote.
Wu posted pictures boarding the jet on X, while simultaneously asking followers to “Support Texas House Democrats as we deny quorum.” One image was immediately followed by a donation link.
According to the petition, Beto O’Rourke’s PAC offered to cover the cost of the trip and committed all future donations to lawmakers who fled the state.
Support Texas House Democrats as we deny quorum.
Donate below:@TexasHDC #txlege https://t.co/xw2Z4pF2zO— Gene Wu (@GeneforTexas) August 3, 2025
The petition concludes:
This case is not a political dispute; it is a constitutional crisis. The current Special Session is set to expire in just two weeks. But Wu apparently has no intention of returning. Instead, he claims the “special session is over.” Permitting him to continue occupying his office so that he can abdicate the duties of that office will only enable future legislators to grind state government to a halt.
Perhaps these absent members expect—someday—to return to Texas and be hailed as heroes who “fought” by fleeing. But in the meantime, they are preventing the Texas Legislature, duly called by the Governor, from addressing the acute needs of Texans across the State.
Every day, their continued absence wastes taxpayer dollars and imperils urgent policy needs, ranging from improved flood response tools to the judicial omnibus bill governing the day-to-day workings of the state courts.
And, in the future, whenever the Governor adds an item on the special session agenda that they find offensive, they may feel empowered to once again flee the State and deny the Article III, Section 5 constitutional mandate. Absent quo warranto, there is no end in sight to this piracy.
The Constitution nowhere envisions Texans signing onto that kind of suicide pact. Legislators may, of course, disagree on specific pieces of legislation.
But our Constitution conceives of deliberation and debate as the official way to process official disagreements. That is why, in addition to laying out general principles for the order of business, the Constitution imposes mandatory duties on members to ensure they will be present to conduct business.
Representative government cannot function if elected officials may monetize their absence, abandon their obligations, and paralyze the Legislature without consequence.
The writ of quo warranto exists precisely to remedy such abuses. And there is still time for this Court to use it here. Ordering Wu’s removal from office would ensure that public office remains a trust exercised in good faith, as opposed to a platform for private gain and governmental sabotage.
It could also begin to make it easier to establish a quorum while the Special Session is still under way. Above all, however, it promises to restrain future abuses. Refusing to address the problem now may simply invite it to recur, always in the final days of a session.
The integrity of Texas’s constitutional order demands this Court’s urgent intervention, and Texas voters are counting on it.
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