Texas Democrats don’t have the power to stop Trump’s gerrymander, but they can find new and sensational ways to make sure all eyes are on it.

Texas Representative Nicole Collier says she was threatened with a felony charge and forced to hang up on a Democratic National Committee press call while sitting inside the state Capitol on Wednesday.

Texas Republicans mandated that Democratic lawmakers not be allowed to leave the state house without a permission slip and a police escort.

Activists protest the confinement of Rep. Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth) outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol Austin, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. Rep. Collier has not left the House floor after refusing to have a DPS escort in order to do so.

Texas State Representative Nicole Collier has emerged as a key figure in the state’s ongoing electoral map controversy.

Rep. Nicole Collier was forced off a call with the Democratic National Committee that she had joined while under House arrest in the state capital.

Upon returning after a 15-day walkout, Texas House Democrats were asked for consent to be escorted off the floor by DPS officers. Nicole Collier refused and was locked in the chamber Monday night.

Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier quickly exited a video call hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) when she was told that she wasn’t allowed to participate from the statehouse bathroom. The Texas Assembly Speaker has told statehouse Democrats they must stay on the floor,