AUSTIN, Texas - Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked the state's highest court to remove the Democratic House leader from office, escalating efforts to end the holdout blocking redrawn U.S. House maps sought by President Donald Trump.

Bypassing lower courts, Abbott filed a rare emergency petition straight to the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court just three days into a walkout by Democrats. It hinges on what even some Republicans have acknowledged is an untested legal theory that the absent lawmakers have effectively forfeited their office by refusing to come to the Texas Capitol.

The lawsuit from Abbott, a former state Supreme Court justice, seeks the removal of state House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Gene Wu, who is one of dozens of members of his caucus staying in

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