A Texas state representative who has been locked inside the State House has sued the state government over what she has called an illegal confinement. Rep. Nicole Collier’s ordeal is the latest twist in the fight over redistricting that began in Texas and has spread to states like California. Collier’s fight against Republicans has drawn increased attention to Democratic efforts in Texas and the larger political fight ahead of the 2026 elections.
Collier accuses Texas of illegally confining her in State House
As Blavity previously reported, Collier remained locked in the Texas State House from Monday night after refusing a state trooper escort meant to ensure that she returned for a special session called by Republicans to pass a partisan congressional map. Collier filed a writ of habeas corpus Tuesday, accusing the Republican-led government of illegally confining her.
After dozens of state Democrats first left Texas in 2021 to delay plans to pass restrictive voting laws, the Republican-controlled government passed legislation allowing for absent lawmakers to be arrested and compelled to attend legislative sessions. However, Collier’s lawyers argue that the law only allows for the arrest of legislators who are absent from a session; it does not allow lawmakers to be prevented from leaving once they are already present. Nor does the law allow legislators to be arrested ahead of time or confined under the assumption that they might not attend in the future, Collier argues in her suit.
Collier was one of dozens of state Democrats who fled Texas in order to prevent a special session of the legislature from redrawing congressional maps to give Republicans five additional seats in the United States Congress. After being fined and threatened with arrest and expulsion, the Democrats returned to Texas, where they have been required to accept being monitored and escorted by state troopers to guarantee their return to the legislature for a new special session set to begin Wednesday.
Collier refused the escort and was not allowed to leave the State House building as a result. On Tuesday afternoon, several other Democrats tore up the “permission slips” they had been forced to sign to accept police escorts and joined Collier in sleeping on the Texas House floor.
Collier appeared on MSNBC from the House floor Tuesday morning, pledging that she and her colleagues were not done fighting.
“They say take that high road,” Collier said. “That high road has crumbled. We’re on a dirt road and we’re gonna meet them and get down and dirty.”
Responses from around the country as the fight for 2026 heats up
Collier’s defiance of the Republican-dominated government has drawn significant attention within the state and beyond. Vice President Kamala Harris called Collier to encourage her, telling the state representative, “You really are inspiring so many people, and I just want you to know that you are among those who history will reveal to have been heroes of this moment. So you just stay strong and do what you are doing.” Collier posted part of the conversation on social media.
Collier posted part of the conversation on social media.
The Texas Democrats’ resistance has drawn reaction from other states. Most notably, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing through an effort to redraw that state’s congressional map in order to add additional Democratic seats to counteract the changes being pushed through in Texas. The California move was partly why Texas Democrats agreed to return to their state.
Other states — including Democratic-controlled New York and Maryland, and Republican-led Missouri and Florida — have also indicated they might enact partisan redistricting in response to the current moves being taken in Texas and/or California.
All this political movement is aimed at influencing the outcome of the crucial 2026 midterm elections, which will determine partisan control of the U.S. Congress and whether or not Trump will be able to continue advancing much of his agenda. The Trump administration requested the Texas redistricting and has taken additional steps to influence the election, including a possible attempt to restrict mail-in voting and a potential move to redo the U.S. Census to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count.
All this political maneuvering highlights the stakes of the 2026 election, which both Democrats and Republicans see as pivotal for the direction of the country going forward. With 2026 fast approaching, the partisan competition is poised to continue heating up in Texas and across the nation.
