Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the man he is vying to unseat in next year’s Republican primary, US Sen. John Cornyn, are both using the powers of their offices to try to pressure the Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to prevent a vote on a GOP-led redistricting plan.

"These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold," Paxton said in a statement.

The Texas Supreme Court should vacate the seats of 13 state House Democrats who left the state, Attorney General Ken Paxton argued in petitions filed Friday afternoon. Paxton’s filings, known as quo warranto petitions,