Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces He Will File to Vacate Runaway Democrat Seats If they Do Not Return By the State House Speaker's Friday Deadline | 5 Aug 2025 | Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Tuesday that he would file to vacate Democratic seats if they did not return to vote by the end of the week. He declared that breaking quorum constitutes an abandonment of office. Paxton said this on X: "I will seek judicial orders declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker's deadline have vacated their office," Paxton said in a statement. "The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines," he added. Texas State House Speaker Dustin Burrows has set a Friday deadline for the Democrats to return and present themselves before the House.