Paxton Threatens to Arrest Democrat Lawmakers Who Flee Texas (1)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened to arrest state Democrats who obstruct plans to draw new congressional maps, raising the stakes for a controversial effort backed by President Donald Trump as a way of protecting the slim Republican majority in the US House of Representatives.

Paxton, a firebrand Republican running for the US Senate, warned lawmakers not to leave Texas ahead of a special legislative session next week after national Democratic leaders encouraged state representatives to resist the plan. If enough Democrats flee, the legislature would be short of the minimum number of lawmakers required for a vote — a ...