Rep. Nicole Collier, the Democratic state lawmaker who spent Monday night inside the Texas Capitol, is asking a court to let her exit the building, alleging she’s facing “illegal restraint by the government” after she was told she needs a police escort to leave.
The Fort Worth lawmaker and dozens of other Democrats left Texas earlier this month to delay a vote on a GOP-led plan to redraw the state’s congressional map.
The Democrats returned to Texas in recent days and they were given state police escorts to ensure they will show up when the state House convenes Wednesday, but Collier refused to sign a “permission slip” to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Collier says she slept on the House floor overnight.
The law exists. Technically she should be detained because the police should follow the law.
It’s an illegal law that should be struck down but the normal process is for someone impacted by it to bring it to the courts and get a ruling. There is no protection from Immoral legislators creating anything into law, and it is on the victim to pursue it.
I suppose following the lack of conscience theme it could be all bluster. I imagine they understand it’s an illegal law so they can only keep using it if they don’t let it get to court or if they can steer it to a judge beholden to them
I don’t think the “law” they passed said anything about the permission slip. It was all about aressting them for not being present. I could be wrong of course.