The Texas Legislature's Culture War

On July 12th, Texas House Democrats boarded two planes headed for Washington DC in a last-ditch effort to deny Republicans the quorum they would need to pass restrictive voting measures during a special legislative session. The Democratic exodus not only stalled the GOP-led election bills, it also delayed Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s longer agenda for this special session, including legislation to ban trans youth in sports, further limit access to reproductive healthcare, and dictate how U.S. race history can be taught in school. The Texas Democrats who fled said they aren’t returning until the special session expires on August 6, but Governor Greg Abbott said he will continue calling special sessions into next year. Joining us to talk about this legislative stand off is Sarah Labowitz, policy and advocacy director at the ACLU of Texas.