Texas Gov. Greg Abbott filed an emergency petition Tuesday with the state Supreme Court to remove Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston), chair of the Texas Democratic Caucus, after he and dozens of other Democrats defiantly left the state to block a Republican redistricting vote.

Legal experts say it’s “inconsistent with the Texas Constitution” to argue that leaving the state to halt legislative action qualifies as abandoning an office.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) is asking the Texas Supreme Court to strip the alleged “ringleader” leading Texas Democrats of his elected office. Abbott filed an emergency petition Tuesday to remove Democratic Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu from his post.