Gov. Greg Abbott previously asked the court to expel Rep. Gene Wu, the House Democratic leader. Paxton disputed the governor’s authority to make the request.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing 13 Democrats, claiming their walkout to block GOP maps represents an abandonment of their offices.

The lawsuit from Paxton is one of several ways Texas officials have pressured Democrats to return to the state for a vote on a congressional redistricting expected to add five Republican seats in the U.