https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-09-16-0309160278-story.html...Attempts at redistricting failed during the regular session of the legislature when more than 50 Democrats went to Oklahoma in May to prevent a quorum -- and keep Texas law officers from forcibly bringing them back to vote.
During the first special session this summer, the House passed a bill. In the Senate, however, the proposal failed to reach the floor because it didn't garner the traditional two-thirds approval, or 21 of 31 senators.
For the second special session, Dewhurst lifted the two-thirds rule and allowed for a simple majority vote to bring a bill to the floor. Then 11 Senate Democrats fled to Albuquerque in July.
The Democrats in self-imposed exile, many of them representing Latino or African-American constituencies, accused the Republicans of trying to violate the federal Voting Rights Act by creating a new map that the Democrats said would diminish minority representation.
On Monday, standing beside a chart depicting proposed congressional districts, Dewhurst and several Republican senators said the GOP proposal would create little or no change in districts where minorities enjoy a stronghold.
Before Monday's session began, the 10 remaining absent Democrats had decided to shame Whitmire and allowed him to walk alone onto the Senate floor, where he was surrounded by television cameras and greeted with smiles and handshakes from Republicans.
But before those 10 Democratic senators could make their grand entrance, the Senate adjourned in what the Democrats called record time, about four minutes.
Minutes after the largely partisan crowd in the gallery hissed, booed and chanted "Don't Come Back!" to the departing Republicans, the 10 Democrats entered the chambers-- only to find that the session was over....
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Only John Whitmire gave in after the second special session was over.
'Exiled' Senator Back in Texas
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-04-na-texas4-story.html