Lord Help Me! I just sent a letter to the editor of the Amarillo fishwrap!

I gave this item a subject: Let's Get It Right: Texas Republicans Have Run Away, Too!

Texas Republicans Staged Their Own Walk-Out When They Were in the Minority

by April Castro, writing for the AP (August 6, 2003):

Republican lawmakers have had a rhetorical field day this year as Democrats, first in the House and then in the Senate, fled to other states in order to stymie GOP redistricting plans.

But the Democrats aren't the only ones to employ the tactic: Ten years ago, it was Republicans who walked out of the Texas Senate chamber to avoid a vote on a racially tinged judicial redistricting resolution.

"They clearly have a double standard," said Democratic Sen. Rodney Ellis, who is one of 11 Senate Democrats who entered their second week Monday holed up in a New Mexico hotel.

In 1993, Democrats were the powerhouse in Texas politics and were set on adopting a resolution as part of a settlement that would have ended at-large elections for state judges in a handful of Texas counties.

The proposal would have required 140 judges to run for election in sub-districts within affected counties. Republicans favored a system in which the governor appoints judges, who are then confirmed by the Senate.

But, the GOP was the minority back then, with only 13 in the 31-member body. So, as the Senate prepared to convene and vote on the proposal, several Republicans went into a closed-door meeting to discuss their options.

On the chamber floor, then-Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock announced that the Senate could not convene because no quorum was present. Only two of the 13 Republican senators were on the floor.

The 1993 Republican walkout only lasted a day. Eventually, the settlement was rejected by an appellate court on a technical issue.

© 2003 Associated Press