Very kind. Honestly, I was being lazy as I’m only using my phone. The excuse clause looks like an interesting escape clause if it leads to court action. I certainly understand the reason for the provisions and remember a similar showdown in Oregon recently with the roles reversed.

Texas & Oregon are two of the only 4 states that have a 2/3 quorum requirement. Most have a simple majority. That’s allows minority parties to shut things down. https://www.multistate.us/insider/2024/1/11/oregons-quorum-quagmire-only-four-states-have-two-thirds-quorum-requirements

This whole mess could have been avoided if SCOTUS hadn’t rubber stamped political gerrymandering. I won’t begrudge a minority party leveraging what little power they have to preserve a semblance of Democracy.

Exactly. The Supreme Court’s blessing of express partisan gerrymandering is high on the list of ways it is destroying our democracy. The SCt caused the First Civil War with one decision; it’ll cause the Second Civil War thru several decisions.

Causing all of our country’s civil wars is quite an accomplishment for the third branch Really punched above its weight

A little too much credit. Congress and the Founders indulged racist slave holders and slave states themselves played an equal or larger role in the first Civil War. This time around, however, SCOTUS really had the tools to stop this in its tracks.

Antepenultimate cause? With John Brown being the penultimate cause and Lincoln’s election the ultimate cause?

I’m more interested in primary, root causes than most proximal. Lincoln’s election was a flash, but the gunpowder was already packed and the wick was already burning. Still, clever and amusing.

I don't disagree [especially as to clever & amusing] But we should keep in mind my statement is premised on there being a Second Civil War that the US Supreme Court caused, so we're already a bit freewheeling in our historiography