The Texas Supreme Court shot down the state Republican Party’s appeal to allow its convention to be held in person during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a 7-1 ruling, the justices upheld Houston’s refusal to host the convention on Monday, which occurred after Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, canceled the party’s annual convention late last week, citing increased public health concerns as COVID-19 cases surge in Texas.
A Harris County district judge denied the GOP’s initial request, which was sent to the Supreme Court after the Republicans filed an appeal.
The GOP filed the lawsuit seeking an injunction that would have forced the George R. Brown Convention Center to host the event and a temporary restraining order against the city to prevent officials from stopping it. The party named the city of Houston and the convention venue’s operator, Houston First Corporation, for breach of contract. Turner had previously said that he asked Houston’s legal department to review the contract with the party’s executive committee and the venue operator and later instructed the city to cancel its contract with the party.
“The Party argues it has constitutional rights to hold a convention and engage in electoral activities, and that is unquestionably true,” the Supreme Court wrote in its opinion, according to the Associated Press. “But those rights do not allow it to simply commandeer use of the Center.”
The mayor said at the time that the cancellation was not prompted by politics, but the GOP accused him of “unequal treatment” over a “political viewpoint.”
“Mayor Turner was explicit in his objective to dig through our contract and try to find a way, any way, to shut us down,” the GOP said. “Mayor Turner changed Health Department guidelines to impose additional requirements on the Republican Party that he did not impose on other organizations.”
Turner downplayed claims that the decision was politically motivated, arguing that it was an effort to protect the public health of Houston residents.
“The decision to cancel the GOP convention is to protect the health of the people of Houston,” he tweeted. “The public health concern for our first responders, convention workers, and those who would have attended weighed heavily in our decision making. Houston is in the midst of a global health crisis, and we are doing everything in our power to combat #COVID19.”
Republican officials say they have a backup plan to hold the convention virtually, according to the Texas Tribune.
