Texas Republicans Want State To Secede From The US And Form Its Own Country
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Texan Republicans want to hold a referendum about seceding from the US to become 'an independent nation'.
The Republican Party - also referred to as the GOP - held a party convention in Houston at the weekend, voting on several policy demands.
One of these demands was the passing of legislation to determine whether or not Texas should become its own country.
The bill the GOP is calling to be passed requires a vote at the state’s 2023 general election to determine whether Texas 'should reassert its status as an independent nation'.
The GOP stated, as per The Independent: "The federal government has impaired our right of local self-government.
"Therefore, federally mandated legislation that infringes upon the 10th Amendment rights of Texas should be ignored, opposed, refused, and nullified."
Texas GOP Platform also calls for full repeal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as for the state to hold a referendum on whether Texas should secede pic.twitter.com/oeiGjB0nys
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) June 19, 2022
According to The Texas Tribune, calls for the Lone Star state to secede from the US pop up frequently among Republican politicians.
The calls for independence usually gather momentum 'when a Democrat is occupying the White House'.
But, despite any posturing from the Texas GOP, there is a question whether they can legally secede or not.
It had previously been settled in the Supreme Court's Texas v White decision in 1869, which set the precedent that the state cannot legally secede.
Professor of law and government at the University of Texas Jeffrey Abramson cited the Texas v White decision when asked about it by Newsweek.
Abramson said that 'there is absolutely no legal basis for Texas to secede from the Union'.
Despite the precedent being set, there was another Supreme Court challenge in 2006.
NEW: The Texas Republican Party just voted to approve new language to their platform that:
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) June 19, 2022
—Declares Biden is “not legitimately elected”
—Declares homosexuality “an abnormal lifestyle choice”
—Calls to require kids be taught that life begins at fertilization, per @texastribune.
Justice Antonin Scalia echoed Abramson's sentiment in his 2006 decision, as per Business Insider.
"If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede," Justice Scalia wrote.
So, if Texas does move to secede it would mean war - whether that be a literal war or a war in the courtroom.
Texas declared itself independent from Mexico in 1836 and spent nine years as a separate nation before it was annexed by the US in 1845.
It seceded from the US in 1861 before becoming a state again in 1870 after the Civil War.
Texan sovereignty was not the only extreme topic at hand.
At the GOP convention, held over three days last week, thousands of delegates declared current US leader Joe Biden an illegitimate president.
They also voted in favour of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to be repealed, and for homosexuality to be declared 'an abnormal lifestyle choice'.
Featured Image Credit: Cavan Images / Alamy Stock Photo. Vladyslav Yushynov / Alamy Stock Photo.
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