Helen Giddings

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Helen Giddings is a member of the Texas House of Representatives. In 2003, she was arrested after attempting to avoid attending a house session regarding congressional redistricting.

In 2003, Texas Democrats from the state House made national headlines when they travelled across the state border to Oklahoma en masse to deny a quorum for voting on the redistricting plan. They effectively broke the bill for the time being. Rep. Helen Giddings refused to appear, but was willing to be a spokesperson for the Texas Democrats. On the way to her car to negotiate she was arrested. Giddens was driven against her will to the capitol and escorted into the House chamber.

When redistricting was brought up again in a special session, the bill was passed by the State House, but most of the State Senate Democrats went to New Mexico, and killing the special session by again denying a quorum, promising to return if Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (the State Senate President) would promise them not to allow the bill to be debated without two-thirds majority of the members of the State Senate. Gov. Rick Perry called them back a second time, and with one member, State Senator John Whitmire, deciding to return, the remaining State Senate Democrats did as well.

At a press conference, Tom DeLay told reporters that he supported using FBI agents or U.S. marshals to arrest the runaway Democrats in Oklahoma and bring them back to Austin because redistricting was a federal matter. This was followed by the arrest of Rep. Helen Giddings, which she claimed was without a warrant.