Downstate judge rejects request to round up Texas Democrats in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD — A downstate judge has rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit seeking an order for Illinois law enforcement to arrest and return to the Lone Star State Democratic legislators who are staying in Illinois in order to prevent a controversial vote to remap congressional districts as requested by President Donald Trump.

Adams County Judge Scott Larson ruled Wednesday that the Illinois circuit court “does not have the inherent power to initiate, consider and determine” whether the Texas Democrats are in Illinois “for the purpose of willfully evading” warrants issued by Paxton.

Dozens of Texas Democrats have taken refuge in Illinois this month with the support of Gov. JB Pritzker to deny Republicans a quorum needed during its special legislative session to approve new congressional maps. Their stay at a St. Charles hotel and convention complex prompted bomb threats that were deemed unfounded.

Trump asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to call the special session in order to draw new legislative maps outside the usual post-Census period in order to carve out five additional Republican-leaning seats that could give the GOP an advantage in increasing their slim majority in Congress in the 2026 midterm election.

The effort has led to an escalating war of gerrymandering words with Pritzker and the governors of other Democratic-led states who say they could redraw their own states’ maps to counter potential GOP gains.

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