The Texas Legislature began a new special legislative session Friday after Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back to deal with congressional redistricting and a host of other issues — laying down a new gauntlet for Democrats who fled the state nearly two weeks ago to halt a vote on a new district map.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to push through a redrawing of congressional maps to secure up to five more Republican seats in the US House.

The Texas Senate's packed floor session Tuesday wasn't without its own political drama. Early on, nine of the chamber's Democrats walked out to protest the same Republican-backed plan to redraw the state's congressional districts that prompted the House quorum break earlier this month.