"Federal Judge Declares 2022 Congressional Spending Bill Unconstitutional"

A federal judge in Texas ruled that the 2022 government funding bill was unconstitutionally passed due to the use of proxy voting, granting a request to block a provision related to pregnant workers' legal protections. The judge's ruling only applies to state government employees in Texas and does not block the entire spending law. The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, argued that the bill was unconstitutionally passed as more than half of the House members were not physically present to provide quorum and voted by proxy. The judge's decision was based on the requirement for a physical quorum and the distinction between absent members and the quorum in the Constitution's quorum clause.